This should not pose a problem. It is true that an insurance company can impose a eclusionary period for pre-eisting medical conditions for new members. However, under federal HIPAA regulations, any length of prior coverage must be credited to this eclusionary period. For eample, if the new insurance company has a 12 month eclusionary period on pre-eisting conditions, and your wife only has 6 months of prior creditable coverage, the eclusionary period will be reduced to 6 months. If she has had 1 or more years of prior coverage, which it appears she has, then the eclusionary period will be removed. The more immediate concern is making sure that the coverage through the new employer is sufficient enough to cover her current health care needs. Not all insurance policies offer the same level of coverage. If you leave your current job and lose your coverage with Blue Cross Blue Shield as a result, you will have the option under COBRA to keep your wife on the BCBS plan if the coverage under the new Small Business policy is insufficient. You will have 60 days to make this determination. - Monday, October 19, 2009 @ 3:53pm