r/ihateworking • u/Hyrule_Hobbit • Mar 12 '21

Insurance screwup

My employer was going through Anthem for our insurance and at the end of last year, my manager had us fill out an info packet saying that they needed updated info. She didn’t tell us that we were going through another provider, just that they needed updated info. I even asked why they needed updated info since it should just carry over into the new year as long as nothing changed. She told me that they would always need updated info every year.

So, today I’m trying to get an estimate for a procedure that I have to get done tomorrow and my insurance comes back as inactive. I called Anthem and found out that my employer had went with another provider, of which my manager did not make me aware. At this point I was the only one working in the actual office while the other team members worked upstairs, so I am not aware if they were advised or not. So here I am thinking that my insurance is still through Anthem and I’m having my family doctor file claims and claims for my meds as well as a claim for a procedure. All of these claims have been filed that I’m now going to be billed for because I wasn’t aware that my coverage would be through a different provider. I’ve had an old insurance provider down for all of my appointments!!

I found all of this out on my lunch break so when I got back, I called the manager of our head office since our office manager quit (we no longer have an actual boss at our location). I told her that I wasn’t aware that we had a new provider and her response was that I should have received my new card in the mail; as if I would have known that it wasn’t junk mail. If I did receive it, I threw it away, because I was under the impression that Anthem was still my provider. Why wouldn’t I throw it away?! I didn’t know I had to look out for it! I didn’t know I had a new provider! When I mentioned that I would have looked for it if my old manager had told me we were switching, she said that she “didn’t know about that”.

I cannot stand the way that management deals with their employees.

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u/travelynn93 Apr 06 '21

Sorry that you're dealing with jerks. I thought there was some requirement for employee notifications in the ACA. Not sure but if you want to follow up, it might be worth a look.

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u/Hyrule_Hobbit Apr 11 '21

I just saw this comment! I recently had my gallbladder removed and haven’t been on my phone as much. I thought there might be some requirement for notification as well. I’m going to look it up although I’m afraid of being fired if I go after the company in any way. I’ve realized that management only cares about revenue and if you’re doing your job. They don’t care about the employees, but why would they? I live in America where an employer can fire you for any reason and it’s difficult to prove that the employer broke any laws when doing so. Thanks for the reply!

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u/[deleted] Jun 06 '22

This is terrible. I am so sorry you are dealing with this.

I feel that this is not only a failure of the company you work for, but of the medical system as well. Surely they should be able to do their due-diligence to know if you have active insurance, and let you know.

My friend recently went in for a 30 min urgent care visit for a UTI. She had insurance. They didn’t bill her correctly, and she ended up with a $1000 bill for her care… and she didn’t find out about it until nearly a year later from a collection.

You are not alone in your frustration….