Question:
I am leaving my job and will not have insurance

I am taking a month off of work to have some "me" time. When I do go back to work, for a different company, and I obtain insurance again, will the fact that I have had WLS be considered a pre-existing condition? Or the fact that I was Morbidly Obese? I am just concerned that new insurance will not cover if I start to have problems or require additional surgery (God Forbid). Any insight???    — enjo4 (posted on July 20, 2001)

July 20, 2001
Okay here are the true facts about this as I just went through this myself. As long as you had insurance for a year before quitting, and the insurance covered all of your needs before, you will have to obtain new insurance and have it in effect before 61 days have passed. As long as you fit into these catagories, the new insurance CANNOT consider your WLS preexisting. You had to have had continuous insurance coverage for one full year before changing as I assume that within this year you have been seen for follow up since surgery. hope this all made sense.
   — Barbara H.

July 20, 2001
Don't quote me on this but I had a friend who was quiting where we work. What she did was quit AFTER the first week of the month (when the employer pays there premuim) and requested cobra insurance. That carried her through to her other job. She only had to pay her portion of the insurance because the employer had already paid, then when she went to her other job, she had continuous coverage so there was no preexisting conditions. you may want to try it.
   — K T.