Hi there. Posting this here since r/legaladvice pointed me this way.
So, I was let go in 2019, pre-pandemic. I COBRAd my insurance after that date as I built up my new business.
In November 2020, I mailed a bunch of checks, including my COBRA check, or so I thought.
My wife is on an expensive medication, for which she received a dose in early December.
In late December/early January, I received notification that my insurance was canceled effective 12/1/2020. I panicked, because I knew I’d sent the check, and tried to figure out what happened… turned out it had fallen between the passenger door and the seat. So I mailed a check ASAP. The COBRA company cashed it, I assumed everything was copacetic since I didn’t hear anything about denied medications late in the month, and life went on.
Today my wife got a call from a financial company. They want $18,000 for a medication she takes, since the insurance company said we weren’t covered for December.
I’m not a legal expert, and I know I made a mistake by not verifying the check had been cashed, but frankly at the time I had bigger things to deal with… but seriously, what the hell. It looks like the COBRA payment was just cashed and gave me no benefits. (I should note that by then I had already signed up for 2021 insurance through the marketplace; I only needed coverage for December 2020.) It also seems like the pharmacy should have done due diligence in figuring out if I was still insured. It also seems like the insurance company should have given me more leeway given the pandemic.
How screwed am I, why, what defenses do I have legally to keep me from being ruined?
I should also note that my COBRA would have run out very soon; it expired end of January. Also, I should note that the insurance apparently told the pharmacy it was covered, and is now trying to recover the money from either myself or them… which is particularly funny since the insurance is UHC and the pharmacy is OptumRX, owned by the same parent company…
submitted by /u/ExceptionCollection
[link] [comments]
Hi there. Posting this here since r/legaladvice pointed me this way. So, I was let go in 2019, pre-pandemic. I COBRAd my insurance after that date as I built up my new business. In November 2020, I mailed a bunch of checks, including my COBRA check, or so I thought. My wife is on an expensive medication, for which she received a dose in early December. In late December/early January, I received notification that my insurance was canceled effective 12/1/2020. I panicked, because I knew I’d sent the check, and tried to figure out what happened… turned out it had fallen between the passenger door and the seat. So I mailed a check ASAP. The COBRA company cashed it, I assumed everything was copacetic since I didn’t hear anything about denied medications late in the month, and life went on. Today my wife got a call from a financial company. They want $18,000 for a medication she takes, since the insurance company said we weren’t covered for December. I’m not a legal expert, and I know I made a mistake by not verifying the check had been cashed, but frankly at the time I had bigger things to deal with… but seriously, what the hell. It looks like the COBRA payment was just cashed and gave me no benefits. (I should note that by then I had already signed up for 2021 insurance through the marketplace; I only needed coverage for December 2020.) It also seems like the pharmacy should have done due diligence in figuring out if I was still insured. It also seems like the insurance company should have given me more leeway given the pandemic. How screwed am I, why, what defenses do I have legally to keep me from being ruined? I should also note that my COBRA would have run out very soon; it expired end of January. Also, I should note that the insurance apparently told the pharmacy it was covered, and is now trying to recover the money from either myself or them… which is particularly funny since the insurance is UHC and the pharmacy is OptumRX, owned by the same parent company…
submitted by /u/ExceptionCollection [link] [comments]Read Morer/HealthInsurance