Cobra continuation: Is there a more affordable health insurance option?

If you are not familiar with the new "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Of 2009" then you need to learn more at the U.S. Department of Labor web site. In a nutshell, this new Federal Act entitles you to a 65% reduction in your monthly COBRA continuation premium if you lost your job after September 1^st, 2008. Granted it only lasts for 9 months, but it is most certainly going to help millions of American's who have lost their employer sponsored group health insurance coverage.

However, there are "strings attached," for those who earn more than $125,000 or $250,000 for married couples filing a joint federal income tax return, in that, if your income meets or exceeds these amounts, you may have to repay all or part of the premium reduction. Therefore, if you are in a higher income bracket, you may wish to consider waiving your right to the premium reduction as it may increase your income tax liability for the year. For more information on how higher income earners are affected by this Act, please refer to the March 25, 2009 Issue of Forbes Magazine.

But, what if you decide to elect COBRA? The question then becomes, "What do you do after the 9 month COBRA subsidy expires or when your COBRA runs out altogether?" Luckily, there are several lower cost alternatives to paying high priced COBRA continuation premiums. And, depending on what state you live in, there may be other health insurance options that you can select when your 9 month subsidy expires or when COBRA finally runs out at the end of 18 months. They are as follows:

1. State Continuation of Coverage
2. Individual Health Insurance Policy
3. Small Group Health Insurance Plan
4. State Risk Pool Coverage
5. Defined Benefit Health Insurance Plan

Let's take a look at these alternative plans:

1. The first option is "State Continuation of Coverage." Many States offer State Continuation of Coverage. While State Continuation of Coverage does not follow Cobra continuation laws, it does allow you to continue your employer sponsored group coverage for up to 9 months even if your former employer employed less than 20 employees. This law does not apply to self-funded plans, so make sure to check with your State's Department of Insurance to see if your State mandates State Continuation of Coverage.

2. The second option, an "Individual Health Insurance Policy" is typically the best and most affordable alternative for relatively healthy individuals. An individual health plan can be purchased at any time and is a great way to maintain many of the same kinds of benefits that you had through your former employer's sponsored group health plan.

However, an Individual Health Insurance policy has to be "underwritten" before it is issued. During the "underwriting" process, the insurance company scrutinizes the applicant's health history to determine if it will extend an offer for insurance coverage. This process allows the insurance company to "decline" coverage to applicants with serious pre-existing or chronic medical conditions or to modify the coverage it extends to the applicant.

Today, the "Individual" health insurance market has become quite competitive; therefore, many insurance carriers are willing to offer health insurance coverage to individuals with certain controlled pre-existing medical conditions, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Other times, the insurance company will offer the applicant coverage, but will refuse to cover a specific body part or pre-existing condition. In these cases, the insurance company issues what is known as an "exclusion rider." An exclusion rider is a way for the insurance company to exclude coverage for a specific body part or a specific medical condition (e.g. right knee, uterine fibroids). Exclusion riders can be permanent (body part or condition excluded coverage for the life of policy) or temporary, (body part or condition excluded coverage for a specific period of time.)

Often, if an exclusion rider is placed on a body part and the insured receives no further treatment on that body part or if the rider is in place to exclude a pre-existing medical condition and the insured's condition completely resolves, the policyholder can request that the insurance company remove the exclusion rider from the policy. Typically, requests to remove a rider can be made after one or two years. Ultimately, the insurance company will makes the final decision on whether the exclusion rider will be removed.

A HSA qualified HDHP (Health Savings Account qualified High Deductible Health Plan) may offer a more affordable consumer-driven healthcare option to individuals that are searching for a health plan with very low monthly premiums. Typically, these plans offer policyholders greater flexibility and control in where their health care dollars are spent. Plans often come with a fixed aggregate family deductible, which mean that a separate deductible does not have to be met for each family member on the plan.

In addition to the significant cost savings, policyholders can fund their Health Savings Account (HSA) to pay for routine medical expenses or alternative medical therapies, like acupuncture. Any money in the HSA that is not used for medical expenses can be rolled over to the next year and excess funds can be transferred to a tax deductible, tax deferred, interest bearing account, commonly referred to as a "Medical IRA." These types of health plans can offer tremendous tax advantages to policyholders. Not only can policyholders save money on their health insurance premiums, but they also can use this savings to build a nest egg for retirement. Many HSA administrators now offer thousands of no load mutual funds to transfer your HSA funds into so you can potentially earn an even higher rate of interest.

For more information on HSA qualified HDHPs, click here.

3. The third option is a "Small Group Health Insurance Plan." This type of plan can be purchased immediately and might just be what the doctor ordered for those individuals that that have been "declined" coverage for an "Individual" health plan. It might also be another option for individuals who are looking for coverage without an "exclusion rider" on a pre-existing medical condition because group health insurance provides "guaranteed insurability," which means that all applicants and their families will receive health insurance coverage for all pre-existing medical conditions.

Because recent layoffs and a tough job market have created opportunities for many professionals thinking about starting their own business, here are a few things to keep in mind when considering group health insurance coverage. Typically, a company must have a minimum of two employees. Insurance companies typically allow husband and wife to enroll separately so the two-employee minimum can be met. The company must have a Federal Tax ID number, which means that sole proprietors, will have to incorporate, unless they have an existing business with a Federal Tax ID. To qualify for a small group plan, at least two of the employees on the plan must work a minimum of 30 hours per week and must receive a wage for the 30 hours worked.

On a Small Group Health Insurance plan, a large portion of the monthly premiums are determined by the health status of those individuals participating in the plan. Even if only one individual has a serious medical condition, that individual's condition is likely to adversely affect everyone's health insurance premiums. This means that even healthy group participants will pay a higher monthly premium. It may also mean that premiums can increase dramatically (up to 300% higher or more depending on your State) if someone covered on the group plan develops a serious condition or if an individual with a serious medical condition is hired at a later date.

This is important to keep in mind if your business is likely to grow, as your insurance contract may require you to offer new employees health insurance benefits and also require the corporation to pay a portion of your employees health insurance premiums.

The main advantage of a Small Group Health Insurance Plan is that it provides seamless continuation of coverage for those individuals who have pre-existing conditions such as Diabetes or Cancer providing that they have a minimum of 18 months of prior continuous health insurance coverage with no lapse in coverage of more than 63 days.

4. The forth option is a "State Insurance Risk Pool." This option is primarily for individuals who have serious medical conditions and who have been "declined" individual health insurance coverage. Many states, but not all, provide individuals with pre-existing conditions the opportunity to obtain seamless continuation of health insurance coverage after their COBRA continuation expires, or if they lost their employer sponsored group coverage due to a policy cancellation and they were unable to obtain an individual health insurance policy on the open market because of their pre-existing conditions.

State Insurance Risk Pools often offer immediate coverage to individuals that would normally render someone "uninsurable" on the individual health insurance market. To qualify for a State Insurance Risk Pool, applicants have to show "proof of credible coverage" for a minimum of 18 months prior to application, with no lapse in coverage of more than 63 days. Although Risk Pool coverage is also available to those who have been "declined" coverage on an Individual Health Insurance policy, there is usually a 6 or 12 months waiting period before preexisting conditions will be covered if the applicant fails to show "proof of credible coverage." To find if your state has a State High Risk Insurance Pool, click here.

However, these policies should be considered last, because coverage is limited and they are not designed to act as a comprehensive major medical plan. Although these policies offer limited benefits, they do offer an unlimited surgical benefit, therefore, they can be a financial lifesaver for anyone who is in need of surgical treatment for a pre-existing condition and might be exploring lower cost surgical options oversees. In addition, these plans also offer up to $1,000 a day for hospital coverage lasting up to 100 days. Outpatient doctor office visits & Labs.

Fortunately, these plans are HIPPA qualified, which means that all pre-existing conditions will be covered from day one, providing that the insured has "proof of credible coverage." Again, "credible coverage" is defined as health insurance coverage that has been in place for a minimum of 18 months prior to application, with no lapse in coverage for more than 63 days. To learn more about "Defined Benefit" health insurance plans, click here.

In all cases, Individuals should keep in mind when deciding whether to continue their health insurance coverage under COBRA that they will continue to pay for a health plan that was designed and purchased by someone else; specifically, their former employer. In addition, great portions of the COBRA premiums they pay are dependant, and will continue to be dependant, on the health status of their former employer's group.

Since the majority of employer sponsored group health plans have a low deductible, monthly COBRA premiums will be significantly higher. Therefore, it is prudent for anyone considering COBRA continuation coverage to explore all of their health insurance options, especially an "Individual" Health Insurance Policy.

This is especially true if one is healthy and rarely goes to the doctor and continues a their employer sponsored group health plan that offers a $20 Copay for doctors visits and a $15 Copay for prescription medications. If these are benefits that the individual is not likely to use, they might want to think twice before selecting COBRA continuation coverage.

In fact, healthy individuals can usually reduce their COBRA premiums as much as 50% or more by purchasing an Individual Health Insurance policy with a higher deductible. Furthermore, families can experience dramatic savings and have more control over their health care expenses by purchasing an HSA qualified HDHP.

Regardless of the decision, it is important for consumers to explore all of their healthcare options prior to making a purchasing decision. Taking the time to perform your own due diligence before making a health insurance selection may not only save you money, but it may save your life.

To see a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) relating to Health Insurance, click here.

About the author: C. Steven Tucker, is the President of Small Business Insurance Services, Inc. He is a multi-state licensed insurance broker who has been serving the Small Business community and Self-Employed for 15 years. C. Steven has served as a Subject matter expert for the Wall Street Journal and Fortune Small Business Magazine and hosts his own internet radio show, entitled, "Health Insurance 101." He is also touted for being a consumer watchdog against greedy insurance companies, insurance scams and unscrupulous agents on Twitter.