I'm having the wife check on it. My annual enrollment is yearly, so we applied to move her to the TX plan in January, and were denied. Accordingly, I kept he on my insurance at a rather large cost delta. If there is an annual enrollment period that exempts you from the pre-existing clause, then that might get me out of paying more than I should. We'll see.
Oh shut up, I wasn't comparing the two situations, just the way people respond when people use their job as their reasoning for a situation. "I don't have health insurance because of where I work"=sympathy "Where I work costs me a lot in gas!"-callous reprimands I have sympathy for both situations because unlike many here I recognize that it isn't so easy to just "live" or "work" somewhere that gives you insurance and/or doesn't require a commute.
Rhad, if she's a state employee, getting good insurance at a good price is a slam dunk. Get on the phone and talk to someone with ERS. Better yet, have your wife do it, as she is the employee. You could use a speakerphone and do it with her. Seriously, I can't believe she's gone so long without taking advantage of this. And take care of it ASAP. A deadline is approaching. Good luck! All the info you need regarding different plans and the costs should be on the ERS website.
if shes a state employee, its not going to cost her anything. thats part of her compensation. adding family members will add cost though. Deckard, the states plan has been slowly getting worse ever since W became gov
Of course. I should have said that. I'm the fellow who benefits from being the SO of the state employee. About the state coverage in general? Yes, it has become progressively worse under Bush and Perry (will we ever get Perry out of office??). Compared to what most people are looking at today, however, it's still excellent and affordable. But yeah, it gets more expensive every year. The deductables just went up again. I'm truly shocked that Rhad's wife hasn't taken advantage of it all these years. It is one of the big reasons people who can make more in the private sector stay with the state. That, and the good retirement benefits, which have also been hammered the last few years.
Ok, it seems we don't agree on the english language definition of "compare". Let me rephrase....Perhaps you will agree that the magnitude of the effects of each situation is not the same. Obviously you're going to get different responses cause they are NOT the same situation. You act as if moving to another home is just as hard as finding another employer (one which provides insurance, let alone another job). "I don't have health insurance because of where I work and I may die" = sympathy "Where I work costs me a lot in gas and I cannot buy the new iPad" = much less sympathy
We do not differ on the word compare, rather on what was being compared. I'm not comparing the situations. Let me ask you a question, why should it be easy to change your job or buy a new house when your gas prices go up, but when you don't have insurance it's understandable that you don't just change jobs? The answer is of course that it isn't easy regardless of the situation.
Well, at the time we were not sure if she was going to stay working or not due to our kids. We just checked, and enrollment will require an EOI. Which seems absurd for what is typically considered "annual enrollment" but there it is. We are going to call and check but the online system says we need that... If that's the case, than the only way to get on the TX plan without EOI hassle is when you first start working. Which is....ridiculous.
I'm pretty sure that she will be allowed in during the enrollment period which ends friday. Unless something has changed, the two times you are available to enter without EOI is when you are first hired (and that has changed some) and during open enrollment I went through this with my wife about 2 yrs ago. she was denied initially due being pregnant I'm sure, but then added during summer enrollment (she was still pregnant). it sucked to pay COBRA from her old job During that time I realized how easy it is for people to slip through the cracks and get screwed
Then she has to go through the process. Doesn't her agency have an HR person she can talk to? Explain the situation she's in? I find it hard to believe that she would ultimately be denied coverage. After all, she is a state employee of several years standing. If I can ever get in touch with my SO, I'll ask if she knows anyone at ERS who might be able to help, but I can't assure you of anything. Will post here if I get any worthwhile info or contacts. It's worth the effort. She needs to talk to as many people as possible. Sometimes the bureaucracy can be bypassed. Good lord... the deadline is Friday. Rhad's wife needs to hop!
My last post was basically correct. After the initial waiting period (31 days more or less) applications to enroll in the TX health select plan require an EOI. So, because she stayed on my insurance through her pregnancy when she joined the state as an employee, she is now refused coverage and a "benefit". Since the EOI is a crapshoot this is not a benefit per say as much as a lottery. Which was what I figured after our first attempt in january. Interestingly, the HMO option exempts you from the EOI requirement but there is no HMO available in Harris County. Yay life.
Your answer is flawed. It IS easier in one situation than the other. People are giving much less sympathy in one situation versus another but you think that both deserve the same sympathy (which may be a lot or none at all). What I am saying is that there is less sympathy to the situation that has the easier solution. It's easier to move from the suburbs to downtown to save money on gas rather than someone who has to switch jobs in order to get health insurance. If the solution to getting health insurance was for R2K to simply move to another home (even if he walked to work in his current home..i.e. no matter how convinient), he gladly would have done so.
Talked to my SO and although she doesn't know someone there that could help, she said that during this open enrollment period, she thought your wife should be able to enroll in a health plan, which is what updawg said. She said that ERS has a big phone bank to answer questions like this, if you SO's agency is too small for an HR person who could help. She also said that her understanding is that the only times an EOI isn't required is when you are a new employee, or during open enrollment, like right now. Seriously, I'm finding it difficult to believe that she can't get this taken care of without an EOI during open enrollment.
I checked the ers website and called the ers phone bank. They both gave me the same answer - an EOI is required. Basically, you have 31 days to make a PERMANENT choice. That's insane. I wish I had not gotten all into this again, it royally pissed me off 6 months ago and now I'm furious again.
You could bowl me over with a feather. Did you try going up the food chain? Maybe you've been unlucky with the chumps you've talked to on the phone. Seriously, this is bizarre. My SO is a state executive with over 30 years experience and has dealt with countless state agencies over the years, and she thinks your wife should be able to sign up this week. I can't help but think someone with ERS is dropping the ball. There's no one at her agency in Houston that can help? Maybe your questions on the phone weren't worded the way they want them worded, as in a way the goofus's can understand?
That sucks, rhad. Sorry to hear it. It pisses me off too, on your behalf. The CEO's of all health insurance companies should be in jail.
Dunno. But it seems pretty clear on the ers website - I'd link you but I'm typing from my mobile. I'm gonna make the wife call and ask tomorrow because this seems insane - but three different sources have said the same thing (ers website, her online enrollment form, and the ers phone bank). She's still insured through me so that's a plus but the state pays her well below par and she can't even get back on the only good benefit offered because of some nebulous EOI determination. Incidentally, I'm gonna call them too. Fool's errand, but wtf.
I've already looked at the ERS website, so I understand you thinking the way you are, but ERS isn't used to having this kind of situation. They're used to dealing with new employees, retired employees, and current employees who want to change their plans, make new selections, keep the old plan, and so on. This is a highly unusual situation, which is why my SO and I think she should be able to get around the EOI. Try moving up the food chain until you get someone who understands just how rare this is and the injustice of her having to have an EOI after 7 years with the state. That's simply ludicrous.
The wife and I are gonna try again but I'm not holding my breath. Just super annoying. It's a lot of money...
