Can an employer fire a person because of health reasons.? Her insurance premiums went up dramatically over the last year, and now they are telling her she is no longer needed. (3 months ago she was told she was a valued employee) She has been given until Jan. 1 to leave.

If she leaves, she will be without MUCH needed health insurance. It will devestate and BREAK her!

She lives in WI and I don't know what to do.

Kim

They can't fire her for health reasons, but they can lay her off if they say they no longer need her services. They know how to word it to make it legal. I've been through it. Usually you can pay the insurance premiums yourself through COBRA for 18 months. If your mother lives in an "at will" state, they can fire her with no reason. She may qualify for disability benefits if no one will hire her. She can also draw unemployment benefits for a while. Getting other health insurance is the problem, though. Many people are in the same boat.

Hi Hootie!

I just found out, they are not firing her, they have told her they need to cut back on her hours. Which basically means she's screwed because she now won't have insurance. They KNOW she NEEDS it, and it will cost her a fortune to pay on her own. So they expect that she will quit. This way they don't have to pay unemployment either. They did word it "just so", so that they can't get sued. I swear these greedy employers have a special place in hell. She has put in almost 10 years with them and has been an excellent employee. Comes in early, leaves late......

I hate not being able to help her.

Thanks for the reply, and for letting me vent!

Kim

I'm sorry for your mom's situation. It seems unfair but life is that way sometimes.

It brings up another topic though that some don't realize about companies and health insurance. Companies can be "self insured" which means that insurance claims are payed out of an account the company holds (collected from premiums). Many assume it's always the insurance company that pays up. In a self insured account, all the insurance company does is administer the plan.

Best regards to you and I hope something good comes up for your mom.

Well, except for hospitalizations, it's possible to get by (not easy, but possible) without insurance. Public health departments give free services. They usually have doctors that do work for them for low cost or no cost. Some doctors will give free samples of meds to those who ask (mine does). Some drug companies do give drugs at low cost or no cost. Your doctor has to apply and fill out forms for this. There are clinics that do low cost or no cost care. There is a clinic in my town that serves the working poor for $8.00 a visit. I don't know your mother's health problems or needs. I'm just trying to give you some ideas so that you won't feel helpless. One of my friends lost her job and her insurance last year. She got another job, but hasn't been able to get insurance. Lots of people have this problem. And, oh yeah, there are at least a couple of hospitals in my state that are privately and publicly funded. One is for children and the other is general. They are free or pay if you can. There may be some where your mother lives, too.

[This message has been edited by hootie (edited 11-23-2002).]

Thanks for the advise!

I'll look into it! Mom has a hugh medical history, cancer, diabetes, highblood pressure...you name it. Most insurance companies won't even look at her, and the ones that will won't cover pre-existing conditions. She doesn't have anything left!

Take Care all!

Kim

Find a lawyer and SUE SUE SUE!

cuting Back hours and losing benifits is the same thing as being laid off . do they have cobra?if so cobra is good for 18 months.
In the state I live in insurance companys have to insure pre existing condistions if one has been under apreveos policy to date for more than 60 days.


[This message has been edited by kikidog (edited 02-07-2003).]

Go through your mom's medications and find out the companies that make them then do a search on the internet for phone numbers for indigent plans. I did this myself without the aid of my doctor and was able to get a few months worth of one particular medication that would have cost me right at $200 a month.

Most plans do require your doctor to sign off on it but that shouldn't be a problem if you have a decent doctor. The plan I was on had a $5 co-pay. It was actually something like a filing fee but it sure beat the heck out of $200 that I didn't have.

Best of luck. I agree with the others. I would definitely talk to an attorney.

Here are some other pointers:

If she is insulin-dependent, check into Walmart's brand of insulin. In my state, Novolin runs about $26 dollars a bottle. However, the Walmart-branded Novolin 70/30 runs only $16 a bottle. To save on alcohol swabs, get a bunch of cotton balls and put them in a sealable container and fill with alcohol. A friend of mine works for a dentist. This is what they do. It saves a fortune in alcohol pads.

As for the high blood pressure meds, check to see if her tablets can be split. Your pharmacist will know. Check on the price of her dosage versus a double dose that can be split and last two months instead of one. I know someone who pays the exact same amount of money for a double dose as he does a single dose. He just splits the tablets and gets two months out of them. His doc just writes for the higher dose.

I hope this helps. I know how hard it is to get medications. You can also check into some of the Canadian pharmacies. I have read on the news that they will fill US scripts and most of them are half of what is charged here.

Best of wishes,

Paisley

How many hours is she working?

There are laws to protect the over 40 worker.

I agree with the attorney thing. It shouldn't be too hard to prove that "her" work has been assigned to someone else (anybody getting overtime?) or somebody younger and healthier has been hired to pick up the rest of it.

Tell your mom to slow down. If they want a four hour day, give them no more than four hours work.

Until this is resolved, COBRA is an option, but it's expensive. Can family help? This would negate the companies intention as her medical usage would still be on their records.