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How to Keep Your Bipolar Medication Between Jobs |
We are not always able to plan ahead for moments like unemployment. Planning ahead can be crucial for maintaining our health and moods when Bipolar.
Maintaining our Bipolar medication routine is always crucial, in times of uncertainty it is especially so. If you know that your job will be coming to an end soon here are a few tips to follow to make for a smooth transition of your medical insurance and prescription coverage.
1. Immediately phone in any prescription refills that are allowed to be refilled so you are stocked.
2. Contact your human resources/personnel department and be sure that all of the COBRA paperwork is being submitted in a timely fashion. You do not want any further delays in the paperwork then may already be taking place after it leaves your company. (COBRA is the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. This gives workers and their families who loose health insurance the right to continue their benefits if they lost their jobs involuntarily. http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/cobra.htm )
3. You will need to be making your insurance premium payment directly to the company, whereas it was deducted from your paycheck. You have a grace period from the date you receive your COBRA enrollment papers, but try to make the payment as soon as you can. This will help avoid the need for any out of pocket expenses.
4. If you do not have a 30 day supply of meds then you may need to get refills before all the paperwork has been processed. If this is the case you will need to pay out of pocket and the process a claim for reimbursement once reinstated.
5. Sometimes if you are really stuck in a jam your doctor or psychiatrist may have a small sample supply of medications. Many doctors have received these from the pharmaceutical companies. Explain your situation, it never hurts to ask! The last thing your doctor wants is you off your meds because of an insurance lapse.
6. Lastly, whatever you do complete your paperwork right away. Even if you decide to go with another insurance company or know that you have a job tomorrow. If you EVER go without insurance, have a lapse of insurance, it will become extremely difficult to obtain coverage ever again; Bipolar or not. In your COBRA paperwork their is a certificate proving you had health insurance, keep this in a safe place.
If you are fortunate enough to be under a company plan, you do not want to ever be in the position of seeking as health insurance as an individual again. It is extremely costly and I will not even talk about medical history and pre-existing condition issues. That is another ball of icky wax.
L. Larsen is a writer specializing in promoting awareness and education about Bipolar Disorder.
Find more information at mercurialmindbipolarblog.blogspot.com/. |
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