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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
nicolemarie517
member
Are we up a creek?
nicolemarie517
member
I'm not sure where to post this but here it goes...
A few days after our daughter was born I called our hr rep to be sure insurance for her and Fmla for me was in order. She didn't answer so I left a message and said that if I needed to do anything else to please call me back and let me know. She never called back so I assumed all was well until we got a 3k hospital bill in the mail yesterday. So I call my insurance company and she's not on our insurance. So then I call our hr rep and no answer. I left another message. She didn't call back so I had my husband go to her office and talk to her. She informed him that she can't be added to our insurance because we're more than 30 days out from birth. She said we will have to buy our own insurance for her or look into Medicare for her until open enrollment in October. Her benefits will be effective January 1st.
I'm a little miffed because I called and specifically asked if there was anything else I needed to do and she never called me back! So now here we are with all these pediatrician and hospital bills and no insurance for her because this lady didn't call me back. I got into it with her when I was first pregnant over Fmla and I can't help but feel like that's why she ignored me. I know I probably won't have a leg to stand on if I fight anymore but this really upsets me! I guess I just needed to vent...
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Re: Are we up a creek?
I would contact a lawyer. It sounds like your HR rep knew you were pregnant, and if you have a phone record to show you called her, then you have grounds to go after them.
Most of the time you never have to do more than have a lawyer send them a letter and they will fix the issue.
This. Is anyone else finding more and more that people are just not doing their jobs? This is infuriating and I am so sorry you are dealing with such nonsense when you should just be enjoying mommihood. If you haven't done so, make sure you contact the doctors/hospital that sent the bills and let them know what is going on. That way they know what's going on and you won't get "you need to pay" phone calls. Billing depts are usually very understanding and helpful for people who are not avoiding responsibility. Hospitals often have help for people who are financially struggling to pay exorbitant bills. Better to do that now in case you end up being responsible for any of the bills or, like me, have a really high deductible. But definitely call a lawyer. This is not your error, it shouldn't be your responsibility. Best of luck to you.
This! I think the rule of thumb for most everywhere is 30 days to add a LO. I dont nean to be rude but to be completely honest, the excuse "I called and she didn't call back" isn't going to give you much of a leg to stand on. You should've followed up. I think you are up a creek.
Absolutely this. It is your responsibility to add your child to your health insurance w/in 30 days- your HR rep has nothing to do with that. They do have a responsibility re: your FMLA, and it was crappy of her not to call you back, but that does not take away your responsibility here. Regarding FMLA, I would go above this HR rep & talk to a supervisor.
Thank you for the replies everyone.
I have called my hr reps suporvisor everyday since we got the bill and still have not gotten a phone call back. The rep that I normally deal with was also pregnant (3 or 4 weeks behind me so she is out of the office by now). For those wondering why I didn't do it myself, our employer basically buys a discount package thru the insurance provider and pays for it out of their own pocket. We then pay a weekly amount to our employer for "insurance". They also have private contracts with our hospitals, dr offices and pharmacys. It's not your run of mill insurance. So really, she has everything to do with our daughter getting on the policy. It is directly her responsiblity to add and remove people. When I contacted the insurance company they told me yes, she can still be added, but it is up to our hr rep to do so because technically this isn't my policy. It's theirs. That is why I left the ball in her court. If she needed anything else from me she knew how to get a hold of me. A phone call shouldnt have been that difficult considering it is her job...and she called several times while I was still working to let me know if my Fmla didn't come thru I was basically at her mercy in terms of keeping my job (this is why we don't exactly get along).
The pediatric office told me it would take about 2 months to get a card for her. I figured everything was in order because of the way our benefits work. I thought we were just wating on her card. I contacted the hospital, and her pediatric office today just to cover my bases. I'm hoping this all works out and was just a misunderstanding. Thanks again everyone for listening to me vent.
The same thing happened to me except she answered and said "ok I've submitted the request and he's added" Stupid B didn't add him. I was livid. L.I.V.I.D. ....and the kicker is I'm a freaking RN in the unit I delivered in. And they need proof I delivered....helllloooo!
Get a lawyer.