Saturday, June 28, 2008

Why was my health insurance terminated when I am 20 and fulltime college student


Why was my health insurance terminated when I am 20 and fulltime college student?
I am a dependant on my mother's health insurance from her employer. Recently I was sent a mail requesting a proof of enrollment to show that I am indeed a full-time student. I put in a proof of enrollment that I am taking the 12 units in college, plus I also sent a copy of my schedule for this semester.
 Today I get a letter saying that my insurance has been terminated and I am no longer eligible because of my age. I thought full time students who are 21 and under can still be placed as a dependant? Is there a chance they just didnt receive my mail? If thats so, then why didnt they state that they didnt receive the required proof of enrollment instead of terminating me for my age? I want to call them but they are closed for the weekend, so any advice from you guys so I know what I am saying when im on the phone with them would be helpful. Btw it is not grades, I have a 3.5 gpa. All those telling me to call them up is useless since I already plan to, what I need is any advice on what to say when I do call them on monday, since they are closed for the weekend.
Insurance - 10 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Maybe for grades???
2 :
Just call them and let them know about the whole issue. It's probably a simple mistake.
3 :
As long as you are full time I think you have the right to stay with them. Check with them Monday - they made a mistake. If you have a lot of healthcare expenditures get an attorney. PS: Never let your healthcare lapse if you can help it before getting insured with another company. If something happens to you in between they will all reject you! (USA! USA!)
4 :
not sure perhps 20 ther cutoff point get profesional advise
5 :
Read your contract (policy).
6 :
Contact them by phone and ask fo an explanation or write to them again.
7 :
This varies from policy to policy. Some cut off at 19, some at 24/25. Health insurance costs are rising dramatically. Far outpacing our wages and far outpacing any increase in company profits. One of the only ways to still offer insurance at all is to cut the benefits. The policy for my company has nearly tripled in less than 10 years. Our employees pay 20% of the cost AND 100% of the extra cost for spouse/kids. The coverage ends at 19 for dependents. We had no choice, it was either accept it, pay it, or we would cancel it all together. I would imagine that your mom's policy has changed. As the policy is actually your mother's she is the one that needs to call. Sorry
8 :
19 is the usual cut off. Also, they may not see 12 units as full time, as that is a very light load and most colleges would not even accept you as a student with only a couple of classes.
9 :
The only way you'll know for sure is when you speak with them on Monday. Just explain to them what you explained to us. Your mother should be the one to call since it's her policy not yours, there's a good chance that they won't speak to you since you are not the primary policy holder. As you said full time students are covered, 12 units is not full time that might be their reason for terminating your policy. But you won't know their reason until you've spoken to them. Usually once terminated they might not put you back on again without a premium.
10 :
It doesn't matter what your grades are - just that you are enrolled for full time status. I can see 2 scenarios happening here - 1) They just didn't get the info. When you sent it in, did you include something referencing you as a dependent on your mom's policy? If the document only had your name on it, they may not have been able to identify what policy it went with and thus weren't able to process it correctly. (Note to everyone - include the policy ID number and the name of the insured individual on ANY documents you send to your insurance company. It will be extremely helpful in making sure your document is processed correctly.) 2) Is the school you're attending accredited? Sometimes there's a clause that you have to be attending an accredited university, so if a person were attending a technical school, beauty school, etc. full time it wouldn't count. I suspect in your case that #1 occurred, and you should be able to get this resolved on Monday. Also, you can make the call yourself - anyone on a medical policy can make calls and discuss their own information, it doesn't only have to be the cardholder. (Sure, if you had never been on the policy at all, your mom would have to make the call. But you can call to discuss your own personal information, which includes full time student documentation.)


Read more discussions :
Posted by Health Insurance at 8:35 PM