stage IV pre-existing medical condition - husband job change

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Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited June 2021 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

Hi al! I did a quick search and did not find this as a topic. Does anyone have experience changing insurance coverage in the US while Stage IV and in treatment? My husband is 57 and has an opportunity to change jobs (no relocation needed) for a significant increase in pay. He currently has great benefits. Our medical coverage is Anthem, Regence Blue Cross on the west coast. They cover my $20,000 a month Ibrance with a $2,000 copay which is picked up by Pfizer (for example). I am self employed so my husband covers himself, me and our 2 young adult kids.

- are insurance companies in the US currently allowed to block coverage for pre-existing conditions?

- if yes, for how long? Technically we could pay cobra for 12-18 months if there was a limit to how long the new company would not cover my cancer stuff.

-can anyone help me figure out the laws around this?

My husband is reluctant to discuss this issue during the interview process. It seems sad that he would need to stay in a job he doesn't love just to keep our benefits as is but he understands the importance of my coverage and the costs associated with it.

Thank you in advance for any info!

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  • jhl
    jhl Member Posts: 333
    edited June 2021

    April,

    No, the new insurance cannot deny you coverage based on a pre-existing illness. That ended April 30, 2014:

    https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/pre-e...

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  • jhl
    jhl Member Posts: 333
    edited June 2021

    I should add this change is a significant part of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) that has just been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. I personally was stuck in a job for twenty years when my husband had a benign brain tumor in 1984 which made him uninsurable. I not only lost income but also upward mobility because of this draconian relic from insurance domination of the marketplace. I will spend my last breath to support continuation of the Affordable Care Act!

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  • jhl
    jhl Member Posts: 333
    edited June 2021

    I should also add the ACA removed lifetime caps which significantly impacted children and young adults who are diagnosed with an illness that will requires years, if not lifetime, treatments.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2021

    Hi Jhl - this is great news ! Thanks so much. What a relief .

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