Cobra Health Message Board

Subject: Re: COBRA Retroactivation (Help.)

Comments:
: Hello All, : A year ago I only wanted one month of Cobra coverage. I sent the letter requesting one month and requested termination after that. : Well I never got any paper work or notices and I ended up forgetting about COBRA since I ended up getting my own coverage. However now I owe a lot of doctor bills from october. : I shouldn't have fogotten to pay, but they never sent me anything to tell me how much I owe. : Do I have a right to make them retroactivate that one month of coverage? : Below is the full details. : Sorry for the long background intro. : Last year I was laid off from my company in CA. : Since it was a mass layoff, I was given 90 days pay with out requiring to go to work. This means I was still technically employed until 90 days has passed. Was 90 days had past (Sept 30, 2003) I was officially layed off without any further pay or benefits. : This is where my COBRA problem starts. : As i wanted to make sure i had cobra coverage, : I had called my COBRA rep (Unicare) multiple times, before and after Sept 30th. UNICARE had no record of my layoff as they said it was to early and they could not give me any information (cost enrollment forms etc.) as to proceed. Unicare told me not to worry, that I have plenty of time. : I was planning to travel and needed to go to the doctor in October, i told them i only needed COBRA for 1 month (October). They told me ok and to send a letter and fax to cancel after november. : So I went off to travel and while i was in in Europe I sent them a fax at the end of Oct requesting to cancel COBRA after Oct and to please bill me the amount that I owe or any other paperwork that I need to perform. : Well months went by and I forgot about it, since i was rushing around, getting new insurance coverage and living my own life. : During my trip I checked in via phone and email to see if i got anything important. When I returned a year 2004, I looked through my mail and found a notice from Cigna that something wasn't covered a year ago. : I called up and was told that i didn't have coverage in Oct 2003. : I called UNICARE and they told me that unless I prove to themthat I paid they couldnt do anything. In there computer they told me that they recieved my fax on Nov 7 2003. Unicare said they sent me a letter on Oct 8th 2003 for eligibility (which i never got) and a letter on Dec 12th for non comencment(which i never got). I ask them what exactly was in those letters and they told me that they don't have that information its computer generated. : UNICARE said since they sent me the letters that they did everything required by law. And that I can't retroactivate coverage for Oct 2003. : Any suggestions? : Thanks in advance. : DK

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