[LM_NET] OT: Health Insurance (Dual)

[Deborah Maehs <Maehsville@AOL.COM>]

Dear LM_NET Members -
 
I would appreciate hearing from any of you who happen to have dual health  
insurance, especially if one of the insurance providers is Coventry  Insurance.  
 
Here is my situation in a nutshell: 
 
 I retired after twenty-two years as a school library media specialist  in 
Oklahoma and have accepted a job with a nation-wide software  company that will 
provide me with free health insurance coverage through  Coventry Insurance.  
 
Currently, I am paying over $300.00 per month to HealthChoice for my health  
insurance and dental insurance.  The state of Oklahoma pays over $100.00  per 
month as a supplement to its educational retirees or, otherwise, the cost  
would be closer to $400.00 per month.
 
  If there is any break in coverage with HealthChoice, I am never  allowed to 
return to HealthChoice unless a.) I am offered another job in a  different 
sector (not education) that offers HealthChoice or b.) My husband  could pick me 
up as a spouse because he has HealthChoice insurance but it would  cost over 
$400.00 per month at that time because Oklahoma does not pay the  $100.00 per 
spouses.  
 
Two years ago, I attended a retirement seminar at the OEA state convention  
in Tulsa and learned that HealthChoice is not widely accepted as an insurance  
provider outside of the state of Oklahoma.  Therefore, if we decide to move  
to another state or live part of the year in another state later on after our  
final retirement, our chances of having insurance coverage there may be 
limited  or non-existent.  Several Oklahoma teachers have moved to retirement areas 
 
over in Arkansas and learned that they do not have coverage there with many 
of  the physicians in that area.  The problem lies with how each state sets up  
its medical billing system, and physicians do not want to deal with 
out-of-state  providers.  
 
So, I would welcome hearing from any of you who are in a similar situation  - 
especially any of you who have dual coverage.  I'm thinking about keeping  my 
current coverage with HealthChoice but also accepting their coverage, too,  
for awhile until I see how things work out with my new job even though I would  
save over $3,600.00 per year by dropping my HealthChoice insurance.  
 
For any of you 'Baby Boomers' who might be considering retirement in a few  
years, I advise you to start asking questions now regarding coverage in your 
own  state, especially if you might be moving later on to a different state.  
 
Please respond to me directly at my home e-mail address listed below,  rather 
than posting to the LM_NET list serve.  Thank you for your  insights.  I have 
to let the company know by tomorrow regarding my  decision, so your prompt 
responses will be appreciated.  
 
Sincerely,
 
Deborah Maehs
(retired School Library Media Specialist - 2007)
NBCT - EC/YA Library Media - 2004
P.O. Box 341
Kingfisher, OK  73750
_maehsville@aol.com_ (mailto:maehsville@aol.com) 
 



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