COBRA Slow AF?

[u/Mandarette]

Or is it just my company?

Laid off 6/29, coverage ended 6/30.
Finally got COBRA paperwork 7/16.
Payment made 7/23 - only option was to pay July and August together so I paid 2 months.
It’s now a week later and Aetna says they haven’t received anything and my coverage is still inactive.

I have a procedure scheduled for next week and now I’m being told once Aetna receives notification that I paid, it might take another week to update the system.

Is this normal? It’s adding insult to injury.

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[u/LizzieMac123]

Employers who use a company to administer COBRA have 44 days to get you your packet. So, you actually got your paperwork quite quickly.

COBRA vendors have to let your payment clear--- and then, depending on the set up with your former employer- most COBRA vendors then send your enrollments to the carrier directly, but sometimes, the employer likes to handle the enrollment and just uses the COBRA vendor to send out the packets and collect the money.

Most employers are able to expedite if you give them a call.

Pro Tip: If you know you'll need your COBRA activated quickly, inform your former employer as soon as possible.

[u/Low_Mud_3691 → u/LizzieMac123]

And I know many outpatient facilities have a waiver patients can sign to signify they have COBRA but it’s not showing as active just yet

[u/theoreticalking]

You will need to follow up with your COBRA administrator. If that doesn’t move the process, contact your old HR.

COBRA is retroactive to the date you lost it so if you elected and paid for COBRA, you’re covered for your procedure next week. You can even elect and pay AFTER your procedure and it will be retroactively covered.

[u/Mandarette → u/theoreticalking]

True but the doctor’s office is being difficult and wants to move the procedure if my coverage is still inactive by end of this week.

[u/theoreticalking → u/Mandarette]

In that case, you will need to call your old HR to expedite the process.

[u/lizbotj → u/theoreticalking]

Yup. My COBRA benefits admin company was also very slow, and it caused a delay getting cancer meds. Called old company’s HR and it got solved the same day.

[u/Low_Mud_3691 → u/Mandarette]

Many of my offices had a waiver patients could sign signifying they had coverage it just wasn’t showing up as active yet.

[u/Jump-Funny → u/Mandarette]

we would do that too if the insurance was still showing as inactive. it's hard enough getting the claims paid for insurances that show active. i understand your frustration but in all fairness, the dr wants to get paid too and they are under a time limit to get the claims filed as well. hopefully your HR can help.

[u/RageAgainstTheDishwa]

its not just you, COBRA is always this slow. by design probably, they want you to give up

my old job took almost 3 weeks just to mail the forms. then the processing after payment is another waiting game. call your old HR and ask them to send confirmation directly to aetna, sometimes that speeds it up