Employer dropping health insurance after a major medical claim
Self-funded company plans sometimes push high-cost patients off coverage when their medical claims become too expensive. This leaves families dealing with a severe illness or a child with cancer forced to hire attorneys and fight their own employer just to keep their insurance.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Contacting an attorney for legal advice
- 2Filing complaints with state insurance regulators and the Department of Labor
- 3Applying for Medicaid waivers
- 4Purchasing insurance on the public marketplace
- 5Registering as self-pay for hospital discounts
- 6Applying for hospital charity care or Medicaid
- 7Going to the emergency room immediately regardless of upfront cost
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“A year later, we are getting booted off our insurance plan because he is now a LASER!”source ↗
“I need to keep my job/ my income, so I can't even talk about this on traditional social media. Just had to warn others.”source ↗
“Ugh to have a toddler with cancer, a full time job and now have to contact attorneys to fight their employer....”source ↗
“I spent the last 8 months getting a medication covered.”source ↗
“When is the right time to check for coverage and how do I ensure that we are covered if I do switch jobs?”source ↗
“My new medical insurance doesn’t kick in until the 1sf and I’m worried about ruining my life. Super intense pain in my abdomen and right back and it gets worse when I try to eat.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 6Why did my small business health insurance go up 200%?
- 2Should I switch to a high deductible plan if I need medical procedures?
- 4When should I prioritize cash savings over retirement contributions?
- 33How to handle the financial and identity drop after leaving a career
- 20How to handle unexpected pet medical bills
- 5How do small non-profits survive sudden funding cuts?