Currently in limbo. Retired 8/1 (employer group plan covered us until 8/31), Cobra paperwork generated 8/5, on 8/19 initiated Cobra coverage to be effective 9/1 and was advised bill would come in "about" 1 week. Confirmation of Cobra enrollment paperwork generated 8/20, it also included reference to bill that would be coming and requirements for timely payment.
DW was scheduled for surgery on 9/2. On the afternoon of 8/29 doctor's office advises BCBS IL was not approving procedure. Contacted BCBS IL and was told there was no record of prior non-surgical alternatives so they would not approve. Total BS, as BCBS had been paying for those very non-surgical alternative methods the entire calendar year. Customer rep, and their supervisor both said "there is nothing we can do". To me, that was a red flag indicating something else was amiss. On morning of 9/2 DW contacted doctor's office and insurance situation still not improving. I also contacted ex-employer's benefits department, requested expedited handling of billing, no sorry, can't do that either. Only option to go ahead with surgery was to sign off accepting full responsibility for payment, and then "if" and "when" Cobra insurance payments were acknowledged try to get the insurance company to credit/retroactively reimburse us.
But, I have not even yet received the stinking bill, which I fully intend to pay in a timely manner. Oh, but BCBS did manage to send us cancellation notices received on 9/2. So yes, Cobra provides legal rights to continuation of coverage, but it is obvious to me that the insurance company, in this case BCBS IL has so little concern for patient wellbeing that even though they know Cobra coverage has been elected they will deny approvals for procedures and stonewall the consumer. While I understand there would be legal protection, it hinges on premium payments being made, credited, and acknowledged it a timely manner. Do I trust that process would be as efficient as the mailing of cancellation notices? Absolutely not.
So the net result was to postpone the procedure and wait until things are "sorted out", as Rodi indicated above.
<rant>Thankfully, it is not a life threatening condition, but most certainly does affect quality of life, and what probably frustrates me the most about this is that I did the ER thing to get away from the bureaucratic quagmire. And here I am, still up to my armpits in that same nonsense, just from a different source. </rant>