Medical insurance, pre-existing conditions and Obama care

When I went back to school to finish my Bachelor’s degree several years ago, my COBRA payment was somewhere around $450 per month. Due to a pre-existing condition I didn’t qualify for any less expensive options.

After graduation I worked as a freelancer. Taxes alone required saving approximately 50% of my income, which meant I had to bill $900 per month just to pay for medical insurance. As the work became harder to find the cost of medical insurance became a motivating reason to find permanent employment.

After three months at my new job my medical insurance kicked in! It was like getting a raise.

That’s when the mess began: I started to receive rejection statements on most of my claims. Each time I called I was given a different reason for the rejection (billing errors, pre-existing conditions, etc.). Each time my providers called they were given different reasons than what I was given. Meanwhile I was paying for all my health care out-of-pocket. After eight month we finally discovered the problem: my new insurance provider needed proof of continuous coverage. After multiple requests and “paperwork being lost in the mail” the paperwork was finally delivered!

So, when I decided to go back to school to get my Master’s I knew that continual medical insurance coverage was a deal breaker.

Being a die-hard “I pay my own way in this world” kind-of-person, it didn’t occur to me to apply for state coverage. Plus, when Obama care rolled out I remember reading countless articles with opposing views and first-hand accounts that left my mind reeling. In general it sounded like a crazy mess.

But then I found out that my employer’s COBRA was $650!

Feeling a little desperate, last weekend I spent a short amount of time filling out the application online. I received an error when trying to submit the application but they provided a number to call. When I called today I was connected to an incredibly friendly and helpful live person without spending any time on hold! He gave me specific instructions on what I needed to adjust. Within 5 minutes, and with a single click, I received confirmation that I qualified for Washington Apple Care.

I still can’t believe how easy it was. Granted, I’ve yet to experience what it’s like to actually use the insurance. But, I’m curious to see what happens next.

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