So I won’t even recap all the COBRA fails up to now because I’ve already explained them previously. But get this…
After my insurance turned up not in effect and on some kinds of random hold, I contacted my former company’s HR person.
She assured me she had checked on it and it would be corrected. But as you all know, I was out of the country without a secure connection, and could not confirm it until I returned.
The day after HR assured me that the problem had been identified and would be fixed shortly, my former manager let me know his son had needed to see a doctor following a sports injury and … they also have no coverage for no earthly reason.
I suggested he escalate to the same lady in HR, since she seemed to have my fix in.
Then I continued sailing for 10 more days…
And then he Cc:ed me on a thread to HR confirming that 10 days later his family still does not have insurance and despite all his paperwork from them showing that he does, under COBRA, which he has paid, the insurance company does not show this and thus has not reinstated their coverage. He asks whether the HR team can intercede or whether he has to involve lawyers.
It gets escalated very quickly up to top of HR, who doesn’t otherwise respond to emails or calls.
That guy routes it to a member of the HR team. Someone we know and did work for previously. Really nice lady.
Apparently she routed to a third person, and he had let her know that I also had issues similar issues. And she said she would look into them and get them resolved. But she told him that. She did not, in fact, reach out TO me at all.
So welcome home to me. I don’t know whether I have coverage in place or not. Look what I get to go deal with first thing!
Update 1: I check the insurer site and they show me having coverage starting on the date COBRA should have kicked in. Yay!
Update 2: I get two pieces of paper in my held mail from the not-so-swift benefits group who messed up everything to begin with. The first one shows my benefits, on the correct dates, for the correct amounts. Yay! The second one, dated the same day, is a nasty gram saying I owe more money and could lose my benefits because of my partial payment – because I paid the correct amount, not their price-in-error. Sigh.
Update 3: Their website is correct now and no longer shows I owe anything but the correct monthly amount, for next month. I send them that payment, immediately, because they are still not trusted with my banking information.
Update 4: I get another piece of mail informing me that my partial payment is insufficient and if they do not receive my payment in full by Dec 24, my coverage will be terminated. The letter is dated Dec 2. Their site says it was sent the 14th. It is postmarked the 20th. I receive it when my mail arrives at 7pm on Dec 23. I could not get them further payment by Dec 24 even if I actually owed it.
Update 5: I get my January bill (which I already paid, see update 3 above) in the mail on Dec 24. It is due Jan1 but it shows they finally credited off the amount I never owed. So they no longer think I owe it. Balance is now correct – and payment sent.
Whew. What a ride it’s been. I really hope this story is over now.
aka gringita 