We have seen a marked increase in calls relating to COBRA in the last two weeks. There is much confusion in the market and increasingly so as the first wave of COBRA subsidies expire.
The general trend is that people are not aware of their options, or the existence of viable alternatives. In our opinion COBRA has never been the universal fix that some make it out to be. It is expensive, especially when there is not subsidy attached, and it is not flexible enough to meet individuals’ needs and circumstances.
It is not only the consumers that are hit by COBRA’s inefficiencies: some Health Insurance providers are also feeling the effects. An example of this can be found in Anthem Blue Cross’s decision no longer to pay brokers commission on new state or federal COBRA enrollees, effective February 2010. They cite the surging cost of care associated with Cobra enrollees.
Getting the right Health Insurance plan for you, your needs and your resources needs planning and an understanding of your options. HealthCompare.com is happy to guide you through the process.
Take a look at our COBRA alternatives online or contact one of our trained advisors on 1 888 320-1290 who can take you through your options and help you find the right plan for you.
Tori Rasmussen, Broker Services Representative from HealthCompare, is a contributing writer for iHealth360.
HealthCompare.com, a Word & Brown company is based in Orange, CA. Through HealthCompare.com, individuals and families can receive free health insurance quotes as well as research, compare and purchase health insurance and ancillary products from the nation’s premier insurance carriers. HealthCompare works with 150 insurance carriers with 14,000 plans and currently offers health insurance quotes and services to 38 states and adding new states each month, throughout the country. You can find them on Twitter and Facebook.