Question
What is the name of your state? NV and CA
Laid off in NV, went to COBRA.
New job in NV, went to employers plan.
Was told we could have dual coverage, both the COBRA and employer's policies.
3 months later, COBRA company retrocatively cancelled us - they returned our monthley payments, send out bills for reimbursment to us and the doctors - all was paid back - bills resubmitted to new insurance - they paid - no problems. (ins. commissioner agreed they had the right to do this.)
Laid off from 2nd job, no COBRA (they had less than 20 employees).
Even though it was within the original 18 months from the 1st job, previous COBRA company denied policy, as there was brief insurance in between.
Got a HIPPA policy.
Got job #3 in CA, went to companies insurance.
Q: Is the HIPPA policy, like the COBRA policy before, required to terminate and refund the prepaid premiums, or is dual coverage allowed in this case?
Thanks for any info.
Answer
I have no clue what you mean by a HIPAA policy. HIPAA is not an insurance policy. It is a law that (a) dictates when an employer sponsored group plan may consider a condition pre-existing (b) requires an employer sponsored group plan to provide certificates of coverage when an employee changes jobs and (c) determines when certain health information is required to be kept confidential.
Answer
By HIPPA policy I meant a policy with another insurance provider, without any pre-existing condition clauses. It is my understanding that companies are required to offer such policies under the HIPPA laws, although they can and do charge extremely high premiums.
The original Q is this: Although they were required to offer this policy, now that we have coverage under my new work's plan, are they still required to continue the policy, are they required to terminate the policy, or are they allowed to terminate the policy?
Answer
First off, they weren't required to offer the policy. You should be paying the premiums out of pocket, much like a COBRA policy. If you obtained the policy under HIPAA laws, technically, it is umbrella'ed under your former group policy, and since the law doesn't permit you to keep the same health coverage when you begin a new job, you must cancel it, or they will do it for you.
Here's a link to a helpful website about your rights under HIPAA:
Answer
Porcelina is absolutely correct...again.