What are options when health insurance coverage is cancelled?

Question

My daughter recently lost her job and a few days later needed to be hospitalized. The hospital checked her insurance coverage and told us it was okay. We have since been called by the hospital and apparently the company my daughter worked for cancels insurance the same day you are terminated, so her hospitalization was not covered. She is 21 and unemployed. We live in Texas. What options does she have to get these bills paid? Or who can we call for assistance? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

emergency room

Answer 2

She can pay the bills herself, or you can pay them for her.

In either case, she needs to call the hospital billing office, and have them "reprice" to a cash price.  It will save you maybe half, maybe more.

Alternatively, she could have elected (and maybe still can) to continue her insurance coverage, at her cost, through COBRA.

Answer 3

You should have got the option to continue your benefits through Cobra

Answer 4

Now, why didn't yall phone the insurance company yourself to make sure she was still covered. She can pay premiums through COBRA, just contact her former employer. It is the law that COBRA be provided, it is expensive though worth it in this case. Best wishes.

Answer 5

medicaid would be it. Other wise she would just need to make payment arrangements with the hospital and doctors.

I live in Houston and have 3 kids with no insurance. It is horrible that our government has made it so that millions of us must live with no insurance and no help at all. If you apply for medicaid they may pay the bill but you have to put up with all the c**p they make you go thru to get it and it is a huge pain. They do not make it easy.

Answer 6

First I would check and see if your daughter had paid premiums through her employer that would have kept the policy in force for a week or two after she left employment. Then contact the employer and take the COBRA option. Don let time slip by on this one. You daughter may have already declined COBRA some employers get you to sign the paperwork as you leave. Check out this for more COBRA info http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consume...