Hi folks,
Here is a question that I have not seen posted, but it is becoming relevant to me. I was released from active duty in August 2009, with a medical discharge (not medically retired). As to be expected, my insurance for my family moved under the umbrella of TAMP, and will expire at the end of February 2010. While I am still seeking a new line of work, I know that I need to weigh my options for family health insurance, starting as of March 2010.
I do know that the Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) is available to me, as a follow-on after the TAMP period, but with premiums of $1,996 (per quarter) for family coverage, it is ridiculously high. From watching the news feeds, I had noted the current legislation allowing government subsidies to cover 65% of COBRA insurance policies. I did my research on this topic of COBRA and CHCBP. In the abridged version, COBRA is designed for those who are involuntarily laid off, currently unemployed, and covered under a group health plan at the end of employment...all of which would apply to those of us medically discharged from the military. COBRA is a bridge providing coverage until a person can get into a new job, without having to be uninsured or get individual health insurance. On the other hand, CHCBP is supposed to "protect you in the interim between military health benefits and civilian health care." I could see little difference between what both programs are designed to do.
Following through with this information, I called Humana Military to check to see if the CHCBP would indeed be subsidized. The representative I spoke to spent a few minutes looking over her materials, and came up with no answer. She consulted with her supervisor, and the answer I was given was that CHCBP "is like COBRA, but it isn't COBRA, so I am not entitled to the subsidy."
Not being satisfied with the answer, I looked into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), as amended on December 19, 2009 by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010, which "provides for premium reductions for health benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, commonly called COBRA." What I discovered was that the Department of Labor provides oversight for private sector employers and their COBRA insurance issues, and Health and Human Services overwatches many of the state and federal agencies, as they provide COBRA coverage to their former employees. There is no mention of any agencies watching over the military and former service members needing assistance.
I doubt that I am the first to ask this question. Does anyone know anything further about this subject? Tomorrow, I am going to start calling the DOL and HHS to dig further. I have a hard time believing that everyone put out of work involuntarily can get help with insurance premiums, except for us being put out of the military (if I was laid off from McDonald’s, I can get more help with health insurance than as a soldier!). Please share your knowledge, and I will post what I learn.
Robert
References:
http://www.humana-military.com/south/bene/TRICAREPrograms/chcbp-basics.asp
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/COBRA.html
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/COBRAContinuationofCov/02_FederalJurisdiction.asp#TopOfPage
Here is a question that I have not seen posted, but it is becoming relevant to me. I was released from active duty in August 2009, with a medical discharge (not medically retired). As to be expected, my insurance for my family moved under the umbrella of TAMP, and will expire at the end of February 2010. While I am still seeking a new line of work, I know that I need to weigh my options for family health insurance, starting as of March 2010.
I do know that the Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) is available to me, as a follow-on after the TAMP period, but with premiums of $1,996 (per quarter) for family coverage, it is ridiculously high. From watching the news feeds, I had noted the current legislation allowing government subsidies to cover 65% of COBRA insurance policies. I did my research on this topic of COBRA and CHCBP. In the abridged version, COBRA is designed for those who are involuntarily laid off, currently unemployed, and covered under a group health plan at the end of employment...all of which would apply to those of us medically discharged from the military. COBRA is a bridge providing coverage until a person can get into a new job, without having to be uninsured or get individual health insurance. On the other hand, CHCBP is supposed to "protect you in the interim between military health benefits and civilian health care." I could see little difference between what both programs are designed to do.
Following through with this information, I called Humana Military to check to see if the CHCBP would indeed be subsidized. The representative I spoke to spent a few minutes looking over her materials, and came up with no answer. She consulted with her supervisor, and the answer I was given was that CHCBP "is like COBRA, but it isn't COBRA, so I am not entitled to the subsidy."
Not being satisfied with the answer, I looked into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), as amended on December 19, 2009 by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010, which "provides for premium reductions for health benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, commonly called COBRA." What I discovered was that the Department of Labor provides oversight for private sector employers and their COBRA insurance issues, and Health and Human Services overwatches many of the state and federal agencies, as they provide COBRA coverage to their former employees. There is no mention of any agencies watching over the military and former service members needing assistance.
I doubt that I am the first to ask this question. Does anyone know anything further about this subject? Tomorrow, I am going to start calling the DOL and HHS to dig further. I have a hard time believing that everyone put out of work involuntarily can get help with insurance premiums, except for us being put out of the military (if I was laid off from McDonald’s, I can get more help with health insurance than as a soldier!). Please share your knowledge, and I will post what I learn.
Robert
References:
http://www.humana-military.com/south/bene/TRICAREPrograms/chcbp-basics.asp
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/COBRA.html
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/COBRAContinuationofCov/02_FederalJurisdiction.asp#TopOfPage