I have been reading off and on for the last minth and have found the
conversation very beneficial. I could use some help regarding the
divorce settlement that I need to consider. My husband left me for
in 1989 after I had had health problems for the previous 10 years.
I finally got a diagnosis in 1991 and suddenly it became clear why
all the physical therapists couldn't help and why I had been
depressed so long.
My main concern is about health insurance. My
husband has a group policy offered to employees of the State of
Virginia and it isd an excllent policy. $15 co-pay for prescriptions.
$10co-pay for office visits and a large group of providers. When
we get divorced because of COBRA I can remain on the group policy for
three years and after that I am offered a choice of three different
plans from the company that insures us now--Trigon--Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Virginia. One os an HMO. and the other two plans are
deductible type, the one with greatest choice of doctors starting at
$480/mo for the $750 deductible and stays in the $400/mo range, qand
is not as good as the group plan.
I am now 54 years old nd have been working for the
last three years part-time. By the way, I believe
that in order to get the best care I need to have freedom of coice of
doctors--there are so few that are really helpful. Also. I would
pay about $200 for the three years under COBRA.
Does anyone know any answer to this? I
can't afford $400. I have called insurance experts and they say
there is no legislation that says the policies offered to people that
have pre-existing conditions have to be identical in covereage or
price to the previous group policy.
My answer was to ask my husband many times
if he really needs to get divorced.
None of my attorneys have come up with ant answers so far.
In addition to that since I worked four years on
Capitol Hill (the House and Senate have a completely separate
retirement system, outside of social security) and stayed home and
raised the kids, I have barely worked enough to qualify for social
security, and am NOT eligible to qualify for disability until I earn
20 credits wiothin the last 10 years. Of course, I didn't work within
the last several yers because I was sick. Also, I can only qualify
for disability under my divorced spouse's social.
security if he dies. And I do have some investments on which I rely
for part of my income so I don't qualify for SSI. Middle class
loses again!!
Of course I am asking for as much spousal support as
possible.
Any ideas? Any lawyers out there with
parkinsons?
Thanks for any suggestions you can make.
Tina Knight
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