Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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Lost Health Insurance

simplegirl75
simplegirl75

Good afternoon everyone. I'm feeling a lot of anxiety because I was terminated from my job just before Christmas and since that happened, they canceled my health insurance. I am supposed to get my COBRA paperwork in the mail, but it hasn't come yet. I have to have health insurance due to my anxiety and bipolar disorder. I take many medications and need to see my therapist, but can't until I get the COBRA. It is a lot of money as well and that has me very anxious.


I was put on disability early December due to anxiety and depression. I did an intensive outpatient program for a few weeks, but that was all I could get out of that time. My disability is up tomorrow, so now I don't know what I am going to do. I have to find a new job. I will try to go on unemployment for the time being as long as the company I worked for doesn't dispute it, but it doesn't pay all my bills. My health insurance is going to cost me $600 a month and that is really expensive.


I do have my brother in-law asking me about starting a business with him, but it's scary to do that too. I have been investigating what kind of business we would be doing and it's nothing I've done before. I did bookkeeping and ran an office at my last job. It got to be too much for myself to do and made some mistakes that led to my termination. I was there 7 years and did a lot of work with a fast growing company. They got someone else in there to do my job while I was on disability and let me go. It's depressing in the least. 


I'm glad that I have here to vent and hope to help other people as well. Thank you for reading.

Community LeaderMid
Mid
Welcome to the anxiety board at DS.

You have taken the important first step in writing it out.

Take time to write out your skills, abilities, knowledge, and use that to help you see what you are capable of.

Best wishes as you find your better balance and move through this challenging experience.
rmb
rmb
You may qualify for an individual plan through the healthcare exchange. There are special enrollment for people who lose coverage. It may a more affordable alternative to COBRA. . Go to healthcare.gov.
Bobby5000
Bobby5000
You might want to forward a letter or even go to the employer to confirm Cobra coverage.

Note illness is where there is anxiety disproportionate to the event and without reason; being worried about coverage is perfectly reasonable.
GirlinCalif
GirlinCalif
Getting your health insurance in order should be your first priority. You need your medications.

Contact your previous employer and let them know you are still waiting for the COBRA paperwork and that you have not received it yet. Also ask for a phone number that you can call yourself to ask where is your COBRA paper work.
simplegirl75
simplegirl75
Thank you for all of your support. I love that we can share with each other and help each other. I'm checking my mail today and if it's not there, I will call the broker and see what is going on. I will also check out the healthcare.gov and see what they offer there. Today is a better day, so hopefully it continues this way. I was prescribed Buspar a while ago and I think it's starting to work, so I don't want to have to go off it. I can't go off my medications because it's so awful to go through. I may not have a choice, but I am going to do everything in my power to keep it. Thank you all
MelT2020
MelT2020
Good idea rmb. I was going to suggest the same site:

https://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace-in-your-state/
rmb
rmb
Yeah losing you coverage under your employer plan may be a special qualifying event to get an individual plan. If I recall you have 31 days (don’t quote me on that) from the qualifying event to do that. It should be retroactive so you don’t have a gap in coverage but I don’t know if that’s changed. So check it out sooner than later.

Sorry you lost your job. It’s a lot.
Seaglass25
Seaglass25
Simplegirl,

Have you checked out the $4 list of meds at Walmart Pharmacy? You may be pleasantly surprised to find what you are taking is on that list. You can also ask your prescriber if they have free samples of the meds you take. I used to work in a doctors office and we had many patients who depended upon the free samples we received from drug reps.

Has it already been a month since you left that job? If not, then you should still have medical coverage as it usually extends a month past the last day of work.

Sometimes drug manufacturers also offer discount codes to get refills at a lower cost. And there is the GoodRX app that will show you which pharmacy has the lowest price on medications. You just look up prices by medication name.

Hope this helps:) Take care.
simplegirl75
simplegirl75
Seaglass25

I will check out the list you mentioned. I don't have my doctor anymore at the moment because my insurance is no more, so I wouldn't be able to get in touch with my doctor until I have the insurance. I have 60 days to get on COBRA, but I haven't gotten my paperwork yet, so I was in touch with the department of labor about it and if I don't get it by the 13th I will call that person back and he will take action if it has something to do with the employer not doing their paperwork in a timely fashion. Thank you for all the suggestions and support. I appreciate all I can get.
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