I'm 60 and unemployed , type 1 diabetic

[strt722]

Thanks NoPocketcash .

[dlcnurse]

Kudos for getting a flexable job! Helping others is a very rewarding job in being able to provide some of the much needed things that they are unable to do for themselves.
You mentioned that you were needing information on insurance plans for individuals. There are several things that you need to take into consideration when obtaining individual insurance such as premiums, how much you are willing to pay for out-of-pocket expenses, copays, type of coverage, and also your COBRA plan. If you are considering the plan that you currently have under the COBRA, you do need to apply to that insurance company within 60 days of starting your COBRA benefits. Also make sure that you obtain from your employer a certificate of eligible coverage. You need this in order to confirm that your insurance plan while working covered your pre-existing conditions.
If you plan to purchase a individual insurance plan outside of the plan you currently have, you need to consider what it is that you need in insurance. What I am getting in your previous post is that you are considering a plan that covers hospital care.
Many of these plans are called Fee for Service Insurance or Indemnity Insurance. Another type is Limited Benefit Insurance Plans. And of course, the Major Medical Insurance Plans.
Before you consider what type of plan you want, doing some research on how to look for a health insurance plan is of big importance. Many people think that by going to a limited benefit plan it saves money. That isn't necessarily true.
To give you a better view of what to look for, check these sites out to help in your decisions. A great site to check is http://www.naic.org/ which gives alot of info on insurances. Another helpful site is http://www.departmentinsurance.org/ which will provide links to your individual state to see what programs are available to you. Also helpful is http://www.insureuonline.org/health_page.htm and a how-to page here: http://www.ehow.com/info_7736282_limite ... rance.html
Another great info on insurance is http://www.healthguidein15.com/?sourcec ... xover=over
Hopefully these will give you some guidance on getting insurance.

[strt722]

Another update I know I'm boring you . Thanks for your previous posts and for reading mine . As I was saying previous, I applied for SSD and have been turned down , I'm appealing but haven't much hope they will change their ruling. The part time job I'm doing ,4 1/2 hours a day, is a lot tougher than I thought ,but I'm determined to hold on to it as long as possible. Since it's now 2012 I was wondering if maybe you folks might have some new ideas ? I know that it must be hard for the fellow with his fingers crossed to type ,so maybe he could dictate to someone else ? Love your sense of humor NoPocketCash . As stated previous what I really need the most is affordable hospitalization . I might be able to afford the prescriptions if I can't get major medical coverage. I got a call from a company called " First Preferred Insurance " can you recommend them? Thanks again for your help. Mike

[jimithy]

We really like to hear back from people who are actively working to solve their problems. It also helps us when we are working to help someone else.

Note: We have multiple active volunteers who are 100% disabled and receiving Soc. Sec. Disability. Most people are turned down with their first application. The key is that almost everyone who is persistent and has a valid claim such as yours... eventually gets accepted by S.S. Upon acceptance you are paid at least from the date of your first application (sometimes earlier) also your Medicare waiting period starting date is based upon your S.S. Disability starting date. Finally... S.S. Disability is almost always larger than S.S Retirement income. When you hit retirement age, you will keep the higher dollar payments.

I am suspicious of insurance companies pouncing on people having hard times. Please let us do some checking before deciding how to handle hospitalization.

Good luck!

[dlcnurse]

Thank you for notifying us again and updating your current status. Don't get discouraged because of the denial of disability application. It is like Jimithy said, most claims get turned down. Just keep trying and appeal their decision.
Sorry to hear that the job is more stressful than you first realized but trying to hang on to it is a plus for you.
I, like Jimithy, am leery of insurance companies that pounce on people having hard times. Were you able to take a look at the links posted above in regards to what to look for in insurance needs? You indicated that you were interested in hospitalization policies. Are you also interested in major medical type policies? I ask so that I have a better idea of what you are looking for. Is there a certain price point that you are looking at paying for a policy? And final question, what are your specific needs that you absolutely need in looking at policies.
I will be glad to assist you in searching for a policy that best fits your needs but I need to know what exactly you are looking for, and what cost you can afford. You can always reply to email if you do not want to post it publically on a forum. In the meantime, I will look to see what I can find to help you. Keep those fingers crossed and don't give up hope of the possibilities. And hopefully, this new year of 2012 will be a good year for you.

[dlcnurse]

Hi Mike,
I checked on the First Preferred Insurance. From what I see, they are more or less a marketing tool. What they do is shop for the insurance for you and I am sure it is for a cost. Pretty much a middle man. I also saw that they have limited insurance plans that do not have major medical. In other words, they may say that they pay up to $250.00 a day for hospitalization. Say you are hospitalized for 10 days and your bill is 10,000. They would pay 2500 of that bill and you pay the rest. I would not consider dealing with them. I will see what I can find for you that has reasonable costs and covers major medical, hospitalization, etc.

[dlcnurse]

Here are a few sites to check out. Both will give you information about applying for state and/or federally funded insurance that was established when the new law went into effect. (Affordable Care Act).
http://www.HealthCare.gov
http://www.PCIP.gov

[strt722]

Hello angels , I had a little trouble finding your posts and mine when I logged back in, it took awhile before I noticed the second page,I hope others can find it. I will check these ideas out, I'm a little busy today though, hope to find time later this afternoon . Thanks a million.Mike

[dlcnurse]

Hopefully anyone looking at the site will realize that there are more posts on the 2nd page. I will make mention to Jimithy that maybe we can increase the size of the text so that others don't miss it. Hopefully, the links will benefit you and others as well. Insurance is one of those things that have had a windful when it comes to the premiums and the coverage that they provide (which they don't cover much in my opinion) but you pay dearly for it. Thanks for the heads up on the page issue. Appreciate it.

[strt722]

Dear dicnurse,I sent you a private message this morning , I'm not trying to rush you ,but it looks like you may have already responded and I can't figure out how to read it . Sorry I'm not a geek .

[dlcnurse]

Go up to the top of the page where it says "User control panel". It is just under the Home button on the left top of the forum page. It will take you to your message center.