Should I switch plans?
Hi all! I’m looking for some advice on how to proceed with switching plans, or even if I should switch plans.
I have great insurance with my current job, which pays 100% of the premium. Unfortunately, they don’t pay well otherwise so since I finished grad school I’ve been ramping up the search for a new job.
To give some background, I was hired in 2019 and switched to remote work in 2020, but they’re trying to get us back into the office, which is not something I can do due to medical reasons. HR claims that the three medical notes I’ve submitted aren’t enough to allow me to continue to work remotely since they “can’t get in contact” with my provider (which is BS since their office number is right there). As a result, I’m in some kind of limbo with them and may face some sort of disciplinary action if I don’t go to the office for the September meeting. I don’t necessarily think that I’d be fired, but it could happen.
My husband has an OK-ish plan and their open enrollment is going on right now, with coverage starting in October. My first thought was to cancel my plan and join his, even though we’ll wind up paying more for both of us to be covered. But then I’d have coverage in the event that something happens with my job, if I quit, or if I get a new job that, say, doesn’t offer benefits or doesn’t allow employees to access them for a period of time.
I could potentially hedge my bets and continue with my current plan, although there’s that chance I could be fired (I will avoid quitting unless I have a solid job offer from somewhere else in my pocket). If I got fired, I’d be covered by COBRA but I assume I’d pay a ton for that. The last time I had COBRA I wound up paying over $800 a month which sucked, so I’m inclined to avoid that if I have to.
What would you advise someone to do in this kind of a scenario? If I did go on my husband’s plan, what would the process look like? Should I enroll in his plan and then tell my insurance that I will be stopping my coverage beginning in October? I want to make sure that I’m doing whatever I can to avoid a gap in coverage.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for your advice, it’s much appreciated.