It is true that if an employer sponsored group health plan changes insurance carriers, all persons under COBRA also move to that new carrier. To determine if you have options for staying with Blue Shield, you need to contact them and ask about conversion options. This may not be an available option if you have the Kaiser option available to you, but Blue Shield can better advise you on this. You may also want to ask them about an Etension of Benefits option. Etension of Benefits allows you to continue being treated for your current medical condition through your same physicians under the Blue Shield plan. You may need to prove permanent disability and also have this verified by your health plan administrator. With an etension of benefits option, Blue Shield will only provide coverage for the pre-eisting medical condition for which treatment has already been started and will not provide benefits for any other health condition or future medical problems. You will need to accept your Kaiser coverage to maintain a comprehensive health plan for all other routine and unepected treatments. Once your COBRA option has terminated, you will be able to switch back to Blue Shield, or a different carrier, under a guaranteed issue HIPAA plan.