COBRA running out....

Hello,
I taught middle school for the last 20 years and was always blessed with health insurance.  In Sept 2008, I resigned from teaching to care for my terminally ill brother in another state.  I have been paying for COBRA insurance since then but it is suppose to be terminated in Feb. 2010.  I am enrolled in a technical school as a full time student and will not graduate until Aug 2010.  I have MS and have monthly infusions of tysabri (6,000 a pop) and cannot go 6 months without health insurance.  I am having trouble finding coverage for this 6 month period.  Can you tell me the options available to me?  Any assistance would greatly be appreciated!

[Amir Mostafaie]

Dear coach8831,

Once you exhaust the 18 months of COBRA you are considered HIPAA eligible which means you will qualify for some type of guaranted issue program. The type/name of the program depends on your state of resident. From your question or profile it is not clear where you currently live, but if you feel comfortable sharing your state of resident I can give you more specific answer.
Otherwise you can visit http://coverageforall.org/our_services.htm#apps which is the website for the non profit "Foundation For Health Coverage Education" where you can find programs for HIPAA eligible individuals specific to your state.

Sincerely,

Amir Mostafaie