We received the following testimonial from Katie:
When the company that I was working for started laying employees off, I was relieved that I wasn’t one of the casualties of their corporate downsizing. Fortunately, I was spared. That is, until they had to have a second round, and then unfortunately, I wasn’t spared.
Within two weeks I would be unemployed and un-insured, not an ideal position for any of us to find ourselves in, but in this economy, it’s more common than naught. In fact, I’ve been through it before -and more than once - since 2009. A sign of our times regrettably.
An educated 'consumer,' I recalled COBRA being super-duper expensive (yup, been there done that), and I didn’t want to take that route. But, with the Healthcare Reform Act, I wasn’t sure what my options would be, or if I had any until open enrollment. Anyway, I heard an ad for iCan on the radio one day and decided to give them a buzz. If there’s one thing I can’t deal with, it’s the minutia of calling a gazillion health insurance agencies and getting a bazillion quotes. I’ll take the 1-stop-shop of calling iCan instead please, and thank you.
Kudos Mike S.!
When I called iCan I was transferred to Mike S. He gave me the usual spiel, but he knew what he was talking about. He’s been there done that too, only he was on the other end of the insurance world. But, he did what he told me he would do – the work for me – and he researched what plan would give me the most coverage at the least expensive price. He did this after asking me if I was eligible for subsidies and willing to consider HCA plans, aka “Obamacare plans.” I respectfully declined. Something in my gut told me not to bother going the government route, despite some others having success with it.
Mike also informed me that I was considered a “special enrollment” because I was losing my health insurance through my employer, which meant I could get a plan as early as the first of the next month (and outside of open enrollment). Awesome sauce! And, my ultimate goal when calling iCan to begin with.
Woman’s Intuition
By October I will have a new plan with a new carrier. And, while it’s taken some fancy footwork and paper pushing, it’s a done deal. Also, call it women’s intuition, but when I called several of my doctors to ask if they took my new plan, many of them said, “not if it’s Medicaid or an Obamacare plan.” Really? Hmmm… glad I listened to the old battleax voice within after all. On the flip side, with the HCA, I can now go outside of COBRA to get coverage and that’s a financial relief, period! At any rate, thanks to Mike for making it “all good.”
Katie M. – Toledo, OH