Lost job within a month of GC :-(

R

rd10132001

Registered Users (C)
Guys, I am loosing my job within one month of getting my GC. Can someone answer these questions.

1. Will this be problem during citizenship? I want to continue job. It is my company who wants to terminate it.

2. Can I apply for UI?

3. Where to get a good medical insurance. I have a baby too.. Cobra is too costly :-(

Thanks so much for your help guys. All the best for your GC.
 
First of all, I am really sorry to hear about your job loss. In this economy, everyone is being affected in some ways.

About the insurance, if you apply for Unemployment Benefit, one of the benefor you can select is the insurance. That is, if after loosing your job, your's and your wifes combined income does not exceed $46000. You might want to stop by at a local Unemployment Office and speak with a officer. They are pretty helpful and will be able to provide you with correct information.

Hope it all works out for you.

Regards.
 
Answers to your questions.
1. If you can show that job termination was initiated by the employer then it should not pose a poblem.
2. Yes you can apply for unemployment benefits
3. Check with the HR department of your present company. They are required to provide upto 6 months of medical insurance after termination of employment.

Good luck in finding a job.
 
Thanks guys for your quick responses.

My company will terminate medical insurance on the last day of my job.. So, i have option to choose either Cobra or another insurance company.

Did anyone of you take medical insurance on your own?

Thanks again.
 
Reg medical insurance

Take Cobra and pay the Cobra insurance amount till it is exhausted. By law, Cobra should give you the same insurance benefits as what you used to have previously. To get those benefits from indvisual insurance, you have to shell out more money.
 
Insurance

I suggest that take short term insurance (goes month by month)
for your baby. It should cost you less than $100 . Do not take any insurance for you and your wife (unless you have any chronic illness). Any how you will find a job in another 2 or 3 months. Why to spend money? I did the same thing last year when i was out of job for 3 months. For short term insurance, FORTIS is very good. Look at thier website (www.fortis.com) and contact them.
 
I would suggest avoid Cobra

I had the same situation last year I did not take COBRA but instead went for a monthly basis with Blue cross blue shield for a monthly $90.00 for my baby .

I did not have any for me and my wife(well risky I know!!)

Wish you all the best for the Job search
 
Loophole in Cobra

I remember when I was in between jobs, my insurance with the new company did not start immediately; it started after a month. Cobra gives you a grace period of 90 days for you to enroll. You can postpone applying for it and God forbid till you wanted to get some medical help. You can immediately apply for Cobra when you seek medical help. You can check this out by calling Ceridian benefits (company that handled my Cobra). You can visit their website at http://www.ceridianbenefits.com
 
American is right

One of my friends did the same. You will have 90 days grace period to opt for Cobra. In this period, if you feel there might be any requirement, you can opt for it. In the mean time, if you get another job, that solves your problem.

My friend finally did not opt for Cobra. He got a job within a month after he was fired by Rapidigm.

Bob
 
Don't go without health insurance irrespective of your current health.
That is one thing worth paying for whatever the prce beacuse the alternative is much worse. My two cents....
 
Ya that's true. Health insurance is a must in this country. But this loophole really helps us.. !! thanks guys for suggesstion.
 
quick question guys.

Fortis short term medical insurance does not cover routine checkups. They cover you in case you have illness or injury

We have to take baby to peditrician every month. Any idea how much is the cost (fee, shots etc) in case we have to pay it out of the pocket? If its too high, then its worth going for COBRA and paying 600 a month

Thanks again.. All the best.
 
Self insure

I support HR dept. So I know all about this. COBRA is good only if you have no other choice or you are willing to pay a much higher price.
My suggestion is pick up your yellow pages and call some insurance agents. They will help you pick the one which is best for you. You dont have to pay them as they are reimbursed by the insurance company. Its a win - win situation. Otherwise I suggest checking out few websites.
www.bcbs.com, www.cigna.com, www.aetna.com Also do a search on health insurance. You will find plenty.

Depending on your state and city you can probably find something decent within a range of $200 - $500 depending again on what your needs are.
Strongly suggest involving an agent. Specially it does not cost you a penny.
 
Connecticut State Govt provides inexpensive health insurance for kids and can be extended to family. (http://www.huskyhealth.com/) I am not sure which state you belong to, but check if similar options are available for your state, if different from CT.

Another alternate, as suggested by others, is delayed election of COBRA. Make sure you can elect in 90 days. Remember, you will pay your portion + company's portion + an added charge, so could be expensive depending on what kind of coverage your company provided. Some cos. do pay 1-6 months of COBRA/insurance. check if your co. provides any such incentive during lay-off.

Also, you should be able to buy at lower premiums if you opt for higher co-pays/deductibles. Try the www.indnet.org healthplan. This is very popular for visitors insurance but it also provides insurance at reasonable cost for GC holders (http://health.kvrao.org/USmedical.htm).
You should be able to get insurance for <$250 with coverage @80% for first $5K and 100% after that. (Note: I have used them for visitor's insurance which is pretty reasonable cost/coverage. Read the fineprint and check with your sources if you decide to opt for it. I am not associated with these guys).
 
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