Previous employer didn't pay Insurance premium under COBRA.

[Guest docbon]

Hi,

My husbands previous employer didn't pay our insurance premium

for Nov'01. Without knowing this, we had been to the doctor.We received a medical bill last month saying that the insurance denied payment as we didn't have insurance coverage for November 2001.

We are trying to contact them, but they are not responding.We have only Check copies from the bank as a proof of payment.

1.What should we do now?

2.Is the check copy sufficient to prove that I have sent the premium to my former employer?

Thank you

[Sandra Pearce]

I would start with your employer contact; i.e., the person you mailed your payment to. Have the employer verify the receipt, or prove receipt to the employer by copy of your cancelled check, then request the employer contact the insurance carrier or plan to correct any oversight.

[mroberts]

Ditto. Going the employer route is going to be easiest. If you need to escalate it within the company, do that. If that doesn't work, then you may want to touch base with legal counsel or the agency in your state that deals with insurance and/or employer matters.

[Kirk Maldonado]

I think that going to the local office of the U.S. Department of Labor would be more productive. They seem to be aggressively pursuing these types of cases.

P.S. I'm assuming that the employer did not pay the premium for anybody's health coverage.

[KIP KRAUS]

While I agree with all of the advice given so far I would suggest contacting the insurer to find out if the employer’s coverage is in effect. Call the claims number on your ID card.

Employers typically pay COBRA premiums along with active employee premiums. If they are late with their payments the insurer will sometimes automatically cut off claims payments until premiums are paid to date. This could be what happened.