Medigap insurance

Had my first cancer in 1998 (base of tongue treated with radical neck dissection and radiation). Lots of speech disability persisted for years post treatment. Lost my health insurance when that company went bankrupt. No one would then underwrite me, of course. I was 45 at the time.

I eventually qualified for Social Security Disability, and got Medicare coverage that way, however the state I lived in did not have an automatic qualification period to buy gap coverage, so I'm exposed to significant health care bills despite my Medicare.

Fast forward 13 years: I've had cardiac interventions (mildly expensive). Then last year I had a second cancer (floor of mouth) treated with radical surgery and vascular grafting. Moderately expensive. Unfortunately now I've developed a third cancer (oro and nasopharynx) and am a few courses into my chemotherapy and there is radiaion planned again. The chemo is going to be very expensive, especially the erbitux, and a whole bunch of that will again be out of pocket.

I'm being treated about six hours from where I live, so we are actually moving to where the treatment facility is. All of this finally gets to my question:

The state we are moving to has an automatic enrollment period for medigap coverage for those of us who qualify for Medicare due to disability under age 65. But we have thusfar been unable to learn whether I can buy it. We get severl different answers from the insurance commissioner's office. The AARP help people are baffled, and even the hospital social services has been unable to find us useful information.

What we are being told is that I would have had to apply for this coverage within 60 days of obtaining Medicare. But since I didn't LIVE in this state then, that wouldn't have been possible. Just looking for experience here. If anyone else has run into this problem and solved it, or not, please drop me a note.

thanks.