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Health Insurance Guys: Will reader face a gap in medical insurance?

Tom Schrette and Alan Cash

Dear Health Insurance Guys:

I hope you can help me with a serious problem.

My husband and I each have Medicare Parts A & B. In addition we are each covered by Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage plans (which we have both loved and are leaving with much trepidation!)

Here’s my dilemma:

1) We are relocating from California to Texas. Our moving van will be here on Jan. 3 and we anticipate about a four-day drive to Galveston.

2) Obviously we will have to have a new Medicare supplement plan in Texas. It is my understanding that we are allowed to change plans if we have relocated.

I tried speaking with an insurance agent in Texas during open enrollment, but they wouldn’t enroll us “as of January 2019” until we actually change our address.

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I am not positive, but I think we will enroll in either a United HealthCare or Humana Senior Advantage plan.

3) I am most concerned about the four days that we will be driving. We are each driving a vehicle, so double jeopardy there!

Should we keep our Kaiser coverage until we arrive (I fear that they would deny a claim when they learn that we have sold our home and do not reside in California) or should I cancel Kaiser before we leave and enroll in a new company before we get on the road?

Any help or advice will be much appreciated, thank you for your time and expertise.

Dear Texas,

Thanks for reading the column. California is in your rear view mirror!

There are two ways to tackle this. Either way, an Advantage plan has emergency coverage only when out of state or out of network.

So Kaiser would cover you for an emergency while on the road.

Or, you could apply for a Texas senior advantage plan or a Medicare Supplement and Part D, drug plan with your new Texas address, and let the agent know you are a Texas resident as of Jan. 1 and simply give them your new address in Texas, and sign up effective Jan. 1.

You would have emergency care online on the road but you would be all set up for ongoing coverage once you are firmly planted there!

Submit questions to schrette@gmail.com or alancash@gmail.com.

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