I’m so mad I could spit. I opted for COBRA coverage after leaving my job in San Francisco so as to maintain uninterrupted coverage. This means, of course, that I have to pay my own monthly premium. The specifics of that payment, as detailed in the letter sent to me when I signed up are as follows:
All future monthly premiums are due within 30 days of the due date, which is the first of each month. For example, the due date for the month of October is October 1, and you will have until October 31 to remit the premium. Failure to remit the premium within 30 days of the due date will result in a loss of coverage.
It’s as plain as it can be: payment for October must be received by the 31st of that month. What they don’t mention, in the above paragraph nor on ANY of the other paperwork and invoices they sent me, is that if you should happen to use this grace period they discuss and send your payment after the first of the month, all claims will be denied until they receive that check…
This really sucks. Not the policy, mind you, which I understand completely, but the fact that its implications were NEVER detailed to me in advance. Being a relatively intelligent person without psychic powers, I took a statement like “you will have until October 31 to remit the premium” at face value, particularly since there was no fine print suggesting I shouldn’t. And yes, I even checked for fine print. Silly me…
I explained all this to the nice lady at HealthComp, stressing how upset I was to be told — while standing in a Walgreens 90 miles from home — that my coverage had been “terminated” for non-payment. As she kept defending the policy to me, I kept telling her I had no problem with the goddamned policy, but with the shoddy way it was (never) communicated to me in advance. I still don’t think she ever quite got the message…
So instead of being at the State Fair tonight after spending some extra time with my mom, I’m back in Charlotte, fuming. I had to come home this morrning so I could collect all the documentation which would prove that I was, as far as I knew, completely current in my payments. For all the good it did me…
Anyway, it will all be cleared up in a day or two. And from now on, I’ll know that my due date with HealthComp is exactly 30 days earlier than they say it is…
