Cobra Health Message Board

Subject: Re: COBRA Plan Change Notification

Comments:
: A family member of mine has been receiving Cobra benefits since August of 2008(Paying $845/mo). Her former employer renews their coverage on July 1st of every year. My family member received a statement for the normal Cobra payment amount (845) for July. She paid, and upon receiving her new insurance card, noticed that the group number had changed. She called the insurance company and asked if the plan had changed; they told her that the plan was still the same. On July 1st, a pharmacy that refills monthly prescriptions called to say that the plan now has a $3,000 deductible. (The original plan had no out of pocket.) She then called the insurance carrier to request a refund of her premium because she wished to cancel her insurance. The insurance carrier assured her on several occasions that her insurance would be cancelled and her premium refunded by a certain date - July 17th. Once this date had passed, she called the insurance carrier regarding her refund and was told that she would not receive a refund and that her Cobra would last until July 31st. Does anyone know what her next step should be? Should she seek recourse from the insurance carrier, or the employer who did not notify her of the change? Does the former employer still have time to notify her?

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