I just got a letter in my husbands Paycheck and found out that they are switching Ins carriers on DEC 1st ..does this affect me ? Will the New Company cover me ? or am I considered pre-exisiting ? RIght now I am cancer free but I see the specialist at least once a month and all that good stuff ..ughhhhhh one more thing to deal with !!!

Sharlee --

I'm no insurance expert, but if you have been continuously covered, the new company should pick you right up. (See the "HIPPA?" thread in this forum.)

According to this US government site , which explains the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), your only cause for concern would be if you had gone without insurance coverage for the 63 days (or more) before the new company picked you up.

-- Leslie

Sharlee,

We went thru this too right after my husband was finished with his treatment. Check with the company but my understanding is most insurance companies will cover preexisting conditions. The new company took over with covering everything almost like the old one. We have had a few problems like they were to transfer all deductibles that we had met I had to call them several times because of that. You do have to keep an eye on your deductibles. My husband is on a peg tube and that was one of our problems as far as them covering it but once they found out that was his only nourishment they covered it. We do have a case manager so if I have problems I can contact her. Hope this helps.

Sharlee,

Your new insurance will pick up where the old insurance left off but you may have to switch doctors or pay more out of pocket. Check to see if you have a PPO plan or HMO since most are now one of those. Just like you did when started treatment, arm yourself with as much information as possible. Deductibles aren't usually carried from one policy to another but many policies will take deductibles in December and apply them to the new year.

Hang in there and remember all that you have already endured. This is less than a speck of sand in your shoe compared to everything else. Check specifically about the PPO in network portion soon and check on PET scans since many don't want to cover them unless they have to.

Ed