Aetna

I am beginning to think that Aetna is deliberately avoiding me.

I was on COBRA for 18 months through my former employer. COBRA allows anyone who was on an employer's healthplan continue their coverage under that plan for another 18 months. Although you have to pay for it yourself, it's a wonderful option to have when you're starting your own business.

When COBRA runs out, you have two choices: Apply for a conversion plan (which is expensive but the chances are supposedly excellent) and an individual one (cheaper, but they judge you more strictly). I decided to apply for BOTH, reasoning that if I didn't get the individual plan, I would at least get the conversion plan.

When I called Aetna and asked to be sent paperwork for the conversion plan, it was near the beginning of March so that I could continue to have health insurance coverage, uninterrupted, when my Cobra expired at the end of March.

However, I never received a packet. A couple of weeks later, I called again and complained, and was told ANOTHER packet would be sent out. I received it, filled out the information, and mailed it back again.

A couple weeks after that, I received notice that I was denied the individual plan, which I had applied for through an agent. However, I heard nothing about the conversion plan, so I called. Aetna had no idea what I was talking about - they claim they never received it!!!

Since I didn't keep a copy of the conversion application (but had a copy of the application for the individual plan), they are sending the conversion paperwork to me AGAIN! They said they weren't "sure" if the information needed for both packets was the same. I asked if they could simply check and see, but no: It was against procedure.

I am now in the middle of April, sweating bullets, hoping that I'll get it soon, but it was supposed to arrive early this week and now it's THURSDAY!

Will I get it at all? Is Aetna interested in me whatsoever? And if I DO get it and send it out immediately, what then? Will they let even MORE time lapse until I'm officially uninsured?!

I suspect that this is their standard policy for people that they don't wish to deal with, since I have health problems. Probably most people get discouraged and leave. I'm the one annoying beggar that keeps knocking at the door.