Employment terminated mid March due to illness for which I was collecting disability. Informed on 3/22 health insurance would end on 3/31. Offererd and PAID for Cobra benefits to continue healthcare uninterupted. Sent everything via certified mail, but health insurance was terminated anyway. No response to email or voice mail. I an concerned about pre-existing condition clauses, If employer does not respond, is there something that can be done?

NJT:

Is your employer over 20 employees or under? That will dictate which agencies your use for enforcement and which courts you use, should the employer continue to stonewall.

There is much that can be done. They have you premium, they have your paperwork, they owe you your actual COBRA entitlement.

Today is only 4/8, is it possible the wheels of bureaucracy are turning slow? Maybe the benefits administrator just delivered or?

On the only hand, if you are disabled, you have a chronic condition and it's not legally prudent for your administrator to sit on your paperwork while you are denied care.

When you say your health insurance was canceled, are you referring to the triggering event? Because if you didn't lose your health insurance initially, you would not have qualified for COBRA.

Can you call the insurance company today, or have your Dr. or pharmacy call and ask if your card is good? Just want to make sure they did not reinstate before you take some serious steps.

If you still have lost your coverage, I would mail them a certified demand letter giving them 10 days to send evidence of your coverage. If that does not work, contact your regional DoL Investigator and IRS about a health plan audit.

Hold times have been long in the past, but they are helpful.

Now, have you submitted your paperwork, to get the 11 month extension for disability?

If you are concerned about pre-existing condition clauses, get a certificate of prior coverage from your employer. That may offset any exclusion issues, if you've been under group health for 12-18 months.

You said PAID, do I assume they cashed your check? In other words, you paid for insurance, and did not get it, would not that be fraud or missapropriation, or something civil.

They either owe you the cash or some coverage. Call the department of Insurance, file complaint on insurer and then work you way backswards, insurer > administrator > employer. They will blame each other.