Since we are to start having in-home care workers soon, I called my insurance agent today to see if there was anything regarding insurance that I needed to change. Thankfully, we have everything in place concerning our own coverage. But our agent suggested that we will want to see proof that the home care agency has liability and worker’s compensation coverage on the people that they send to us. He said to ask to SEE the insurance certificate, so we will know for sure that they actually do have the coverage. He said he didn’t know how comfortable I would be making that request. After he told me how costly it could be if they didn’t, I told him I didn’t have any problem at all with asking to see their certificate of insurance.
Just another of the million and one things we need to think about. But better to think about it now rather than later, when it might be quite expensive to find out that we needed to check into it.
Jan K, thank you!! I have just sent an e-mail to the home care agency asking for their insurance certificate. They told me that they have coverage, but I am now asking for proof. Thanks again.
This month I changed my husbands supplement Insurance to the same company I have and the premium is $75. a month less. That adds up to a pretty tidy savings in a year. I received his new card yesterday and called to verify his coverage before canceling his old policy. Also, if you do this you have to ask them to cancel today or they will not cancel until the first of the month. I am getting a check back for over $100. because I asked.
Imohr, Just be very sure you answered all the health questions correctly when you changed. I started to change my own supplemental for the same reason and one of the questions was " do you have any bone disease" Well, it almost caught me off guard and was ready to say NO, then I realized that I had been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, which of course is the bone. I would have been up the creek without a paddle so to speak if I had any problems and my health records were looked out. I would never have answered no, to deceive them but I almost did not think of it as a bone disease, so be very careful, what always looks good may not be.
A lot of people do not realize that when you hire home help, even house keepers, without going through an Agency that is covered, you are liable for the Social Security taxes, the State unemployment insurance on the worker etc. You are considered an employer. Scary when you stop and think about it.
I recieved my husbands policy from AARP and there was no Riders attached about not covering preexisting illnesses. I called AARP and talked to an Agent who checked and he said there was NO exclusion on his policy for preexisting conditions and I feel much relieved. Jane mentioned above about the fine print and there is indeed fine print but as I understand the policy it can deny coverage for a new illness diagnosed in the 3 months prior to the Insurance Policy date. I think this is limited to 3 more months. All of this legal writing is a bunch of double talk and I can't understand half of it. I did go to the Medicare site and checked about their laws regarding the suplemental Insurance coverage and my understanding there is that if you have had a medigap policy in force for at least 6 months and decided to switch companies they are not allowed by law to not cover preexisting illness. I did disclose his diagnosis on the application so I was not trying to hide anything.
My advice it if you decide to make a change read your policy and make sure you understand it before you cancel your old coverage. Now if you did not already have a medigap policy I don't think preexisting conditions would be covered. You do have 30 days to look over the new policy and make sure you want to keep it and if you decide you don't want it they will not charge you.
Imohr, No they are not allowed to not cover pre-existing illness but certain questions on the form if answered incorrectly can cause them to cancel on you, not that they do not cover it, just that they have to be answered correctly, the fact that something is omitted is as a big problem.
I lost my Cobra coverage when my wife was covered with Medicare. I submitted an application with Blue Cross of Texas and was accepted. The only issue is the policy did not cover kidney stones since I had an attack 6 months ago. The insurance company asks you what issues you have had in the past so that they might exclude them from the policy. The other issues is the raised the rate 30% from the initial quote and are now providing less coverage. I think the insurance companies should only be allowed to quote the average premium for the policies currently underwritten. This is bate and switch at its finest. Quote the lowest rate to get them interested then find some reason not to honor the quote. I also saw on the internet that there was a group law suit against Blue Cross for taking the premiums and then they find something that was left out of the question aire and then they wait to cancel the policy when a major claim is filed. This BS and the politicians are bought and paid for by the lobbist. The solution is simple. Tell the Fat Cats on the Hill that they will be covered by the same insurance that they want everyone else to have while they get the premium Fed Plan.
moorsb, that is exactly the point I was trying to make, leave something out of the application process no matter how small or unintentional and they can cancel on down the road when you need them most.