Any insurance experts here? Nervous about switching plans

I am not an expert but have sent complaints to my state insurance commissioner's office. Have you tried asking them about self-funded plans? I would also be concerned from what I've heard regarding their operation. In general, group plans do not resort to individual underwriting so would not know about your condition or be able to discriminate. Maybe a broker could offer insight. Keep in mind that they are basically salespeople.

However, since you have metastatic disease and probably have enough work credits, you may qualify for social security disability income. The Compassionate Allowance program will fast track your claim. (Mine was approved in ten days in early January). Then there is a five month waiting period. After receiving benefits for two years, Medicare starts. Cobra coverage is available until that point, via special arrangement.

Of course, under SSDI there are limits to earnings or you lose out. It sounds like retirement is not your preference right now but perhaps a free lance position or becoming an independent consultant yourself might be a possibility. Obtaining an affordable health care policy then becomes the big question. Good luck!

Lots of companies self-fund their insurance. Usually they're big companies so they can spread the risk around. Or they're hospitals.

Before accepting or turning down an offer ask a lot of questions. As Runrcrb says, they should be able to provide you with the plan documents which say what is covered and what is not. By law they must disclose all the fine print. You'll need to wade through it but it would be worth the effort if it's a job you're interested in.

Adymaria, unless it is absolutely necessary, I wouldn't talk to my employer about cancer. You can probably say you have a concern about a major health issue. Most private employers nowadays are self-insured, so this is not a unique situation like someone pointed out. Another reason to not talk to the employer is that they probably won't know much about the nitty gritties of your situation. Lastly, if you do decide to talk to them, stick to the benefits coordinator in HR. And tell them what you are telling them is strictly confidential.

As a first step, I would try talking to the insurance plan directly about coverage - if you know exactly what plan you will be on, you may be able to talk to navigators there. Typically, the plan negotiates what is covered and what is not and not the employer. You can also ask the plan about all your concerns about employers capping what they will pay.

I guess it depends on where you work, but I was very open with my workplace when I had cancer the first time (retired for the other ones). Everyone from the top down was super supportive and it never once came up at the next insurance sign-up time.

Who is the administrator for self funded plan? I am a health insurance agent. They have already offered you a position. It would be highly illegal for them to rescind your offer based on your health. Also with changes in healthcare. They cannot tell them exact medical issues but depending on the size of company it can be easy to figure out. Many extremely large companies have self funded plans. The stop loss just covers the employer if they have to pay out over a certain amount. I doubt you would ever see that. Hope this helps!