I'm calling the GME office...

Please wish me luck!

ARG! Freaking voice mail!

I sat down with DH's paychecks from before the "Big Program Switch-A-Roo" and now. I was wrong when I said that we are paying 4x more for medical ins...we are paying SIX times more, almost to the penny.

[poky]

That is NUTS. I hope you can get something figured out!

[SuzySunshine]

That is NUTS - hopefully someone is able to give you a real answer or fix it, not a run around.

[GrayMatterWife]

Honestly, that sounds like they've done something incorrectly. Six times? Four seemed suspicious enough.

Good luck! I hope you get it all straightened out.

Hope things get smoothed out soon!

Didn't get a call-back. Hmmmmm....

[planet]

I would go in if you don't hear in a day. AND bring any kids you have with you. So far we've had very good experiences with the GME folks and they have been eager to help with anything. Six times what you were paying is truly outrageous and sounds like a mistake was made. I also think it is totally ok to keep calling back until someone answers. In case the office is staffed with people more like those found at dh's old med school hospital...the ones who let the phone ring and go through to voice mail while they're chatting at the coffee machine...then they'll eventually pick up just to stop the phone from ringing. :>

I am ready to scream and cry! These people are HORRIBLE!

The GME--"nope, nothing we can do. Nope, we don't have any programs to help. What I can do is give you 2 numbers, 1 to HR but they will tell you exactly the same thing, and 1 to the "Wellness" office."

The Wellness Office-"Nope, nothing we can do. You can drop your insurance only if you have other coverage, but only during open-enrollment. Oh, by the way, your premiums are going up even more in January. Have a nice day."

If he switched does that mean he switched employers? It sounds like they just have a different benefit package. We ran into that too.

If he switched does that mean he switched employers? It sounds like they just have a different benefit package. We ran into that too.

Technically, no. The program switched from 1 hospital system to another, but instead of being paid by the hospital (which we used to be) DH is paid directly by the university now.

Were you able to do anything about the differences or did you just have to take what they gave?

It was a switch in residency programs so I knew about it but not the degree until we actually switched and got the enrollment packet (monthly cost went up, coverage went down -- woohoo!).

I understand what you are saying though. I can't remember the specifics but I worked with someone who switched from the university to the university-affiliated children's hospital and there were similar benefit changes by virtue of being a different employer. I can't remember if it was better or worse. That stinks though and it's too bad they didn't give you some sort of warning about all the changes. I'm sorry.

[peggyfromwastate]

do you qualify for state healthcare for your kids? If your income is low enough (and as a resident, it isn't much, is it?) could you look into state plans? My sis does that- to get coverage for her kids. She and her husband have catastrophe insurance only. Anyway, thier income is I think around $30K-$40K a year.