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Please forgive me if I posted in the wrong area!
We finalized our adoption in Dec, but I got power of attorney and was able to take him home from the hospital. A few days later, we discovered he had a lung problem, it was nothing life threatening, but did require hospitalization, and a lot of visits to a pediatrician, medications, etc.
Now I was told by medicaid that until the adoption was finalized, his birth mother's medicaid would cover him.
Now we are starting to receive bills saying they denied them, because the adoption was finalized when they were posted.
I am relatively new to the USA, coming from Canada where healthcare is very different. I have never had to deal with health insurance before and am so lost.
Has anyone experienced anything like this? We have our own insurance of course, which he is on now, should I be contacting them?
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Do you have group insurance -- for example, through one spouse's employer? If so, there is a federal law that REQUIRES group insurors to cover your child "from the date of adoption OR PLACEMENT FOR ADOPTION", as long as you informed your insuror of the adoption within 30 days of the adoption or placement for adoption. The same law prohibits insurors from refusing to insure an adopted child for pre-existing conditions, or imposing waiting periods for coverage, as long as a child born to you would be covered.Unfortunately, if you have an individual policy, not a group policy, the insuror will generally not be subject to these federal requirements, and can refuse to cover your child, make you wait till open season for coverage, etc. A few states, however, have passed legislation that mirrors federal law and applies to people with individual policies.Also, if you wait more than 30 days before notifying your insurance company, the federal law won't apply for you and your insuror can decide to deny your claims. I am surprised that your homestudy provider did not discuss insurance with you during your homestudy process, as it is very important for families to have coverage that applies from the time of placement and that covers pre-existing conditions.Sharon
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Do you have group insurance -- for example, through one spouse's employer? If so, there is a federal law that REQUIRES group insurors to cover your child "from the date of adoption OR PLACEMENT FOR ADOPTION", as long as you informed your insuror of the adoption within 30 days of the adoption or placement for adoption. The same law prohibits insurors from refusing to insure an adopted child for pre-existing conditions, or imposing waiting periods for coverage, as long as a child born to you would be covered.
Unfortunately, if you have an individual policy, not a group policy, the insuror will generally not be subject to these federal requirements, and can refuse to cover your child, make you wait till open season for coverage, etc. A few states, however, have passed legislation that mirrors federal law and applies to people with individual policies.
Also, if you wait more than 30 days before notifying your insurance company, the federal law won't apply for you and your insuror can decide to deny your claims. I am surprised that your homestudy provider did not discuss insurance with you during your homestudy process, as it is very important for families to have coverage that applies from the time of placement and that covers pre-existing conditions.
Sharon