Losing Health Insurance (Need Help)
Donation protected
This has to be one of the hardest things I have had to do by putting my personal affairs out to the public.
On April 22, 2017, I was injured on the job while repairing one of my Company’s assets. I was placed into a modified duty roll at work for the next 180 days in hopes that I was just bruised and sore and could return to work. The company sent me to their Doctor and after ten days, the Doctor was ready to release me back to full duty with only an x-ray being taken.
Personally, I just knew I was injured badly so under the Workers Comp regulations, I requested my Company Doctor be replaced and asked for a second opinion of my injuries. Lo and behold, the second doctor sent me to an Orthopedic Specialist and he said I needed to have a Rotator Cuff Surgery performed. The Workers Comp Doctor would not accept the recommendation of the surgeon and felt that with physical therapy I would be fine to return back to full duty. I went along with his PT routine and after several months I was still no better off than the day I was injured.
At this time I reached out to my Comp Adjuster’s Manager for help. She suggested that I try a new Doctor and she put in the paperwork for Workers Comp approval. I could now have a new Doctor who ordered an MRI with Contrast and this time the results were so apparent I could read the MRI and see the damage myself. By this time, I have less than two months left before the Company forces me out of the Modified Duty program and puts me on Temporary Disability on October 22nd is my last day at work. The Total Temporary Disability program kicked in and I was officially off of work on Temporary Workers Comp Disability after a ten day waiting period beginning 10/23/17. The payments I received were not enough to live on in Southern California. My surgery was then scheduled for just after Christmas. Just before my surgery date I ended up getting the flu and ended up with Bronchial Pneumonia. As a result my surgery was cancelled until my white blood cell count was normal again.
One day during March I was at the Pharmacy to pick up medications for my wife and I. I used my Flexible Spending Account card to make the purchase and came to find out my account was locked by my Employer. First thing on Monday morning I call and find out that California law does not require the Employer to pay for your insurance while on Workers Comp Disability. In order for my insurance to be reinstated I was expected to pay the full balance of $4,500.00. I was able to pay for ½ of October and all of November, but as you can see, from December on I still owe and I have no way to catch up.
This is the invoice that shows how much that I currently owe my Company. I have blacked out any reference to the company that I work for because I don’t know if there would be any repercussions.
I still am responsible for and have to pay for the current month and each month hereafter. My Company expects the balance of $4,500.00 to be paid by May 21st 2018 plus pay our monthly insurance payment, or my Company will cancel our insurance
I have repeatedly pleaded with my Employer to accept small payments every month until I return to work and could pay current and arrears each week until it was paid off. My wife has three autoimmune diseases (Type1 Diabetes, Lupus and Vasculitis) and cannot stop any of her medications (i.e. Insulin, Chemo ect. ). If she were to stop it would be a life or death situation.
I only have until 5/21/18 to get the back owed portion paid or we are uninsured.
Thank you for your time and God Bless you for your consideration
Please feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk in depth about this…
UPDATED PORTION BELOW
After talking with my wife, I thought I should give more information and my opinion of the way that the large Corporations treat their employees over their Shareholders and top tier Managers. They can hand out Multi Million dollar bonuses over the duration of a couple of years, but cut as much as they can from (Every Where Else) just so they can look like a Super Hero at the share holder meetings!
As of this October, I will be starting my Tenth year working for the same Employer. I am an Industrial Machinist that works with heavy equipment daily. Back in 2010, I was injured, and as a result, was on Workers Comp and at the time was able to survive until I was able to return to work. I was put through hell because my Workers Comp Adjuster thought I was a dummy and knew nothing about the laws regarding Workers Comp. I taught myself about the California Department of Labor Relations Workers Comp laws and I was forced to fight them to keep my job and to get what was entitled to me under the law without an Attorney. I then returned to work with a severely damaged knee. I fought to get Lifetime Medical for my injury and I won, but because of Jerry Brown and former Governor Schwarzenegger, the law is in favor of the employer and not the injured worker. Now believe me I know firsthand. There is so much I could tell here, however it would take several pages alone, so I will not elaborate anymore.
You know what the worst part of this whole ordeal? Actually there is more than one.
First – The last time I was injured, they (My Employer) paid my portion of my medical, dental and vision insurance ect... along with the temporary disability payment until I was able to return to work. When I returned to work, on each paycheck I would make double payments for my benefits (one was for the arrears and one for the current) until I was caught up. Now they don’t do this anymore. Personally I suspect because its money they cannot report as earnings to the shareholders and because they are self-insured, it would be money out of their pocket. Besides, they never informed me that they were not paying my payments each month like before, so when my account was locked by the people they contract this out to, I was able to download the invoice for the $4,500 and I was in shock. All along I thought they were paying my portion just like last time I was on Workers Comp, but to my dismay they were not.
Second - Since the day I was injured, I cannot sleep in my bed next to my wife and I am forced to sleep in a reclining chair as it allows me to sleep with relatively little pain. I have been sleeping in the recliner for the last year and the Doctor tells me it will be another six months after the surgery until I can sleep in my bed again.
So, once again, thank you for your time. I am going to send this to as many people as I can on Twitter (i.e., the President, the Vice President, Senators, Governors, Congressmen and Congresswomen and anyone else who will listen and can HELP make a Difference); not just for me, but for all the others out there like myself. Maybe just maybe, someone will hear me and be able to make a difference in the future; for us “the little people”
On April 22, 2017, I was injured on the job while repairing one of my Company’s assets. I was placed into a modified duty roll at work for the next 180 days in hopes that I was just bruised and sore and could return to work. The company sent me to their Doctor and after ten days, the Doctor was ready to release me back to full duty with only an x-ray being taken.
Personally, I just knew I was injured badly so under the Workers Comp regulations, I requested my Company Doctor be replaced and asked for a second opinion of my injuries. Lo and behold, the second doctor sent me to an Orthopedic Specialist and he said I needed to have a Rotator Cuff Surgery performed. The Workers Comp Doctor would not accept the recommendation of the surgeon and felt that with physical therapy I would be fine to return back to full duty. I went along with his PT routine and after several months I was still no better off than the day I was injured.
At this time I reached out to my Comp Adjuster’s Manager for help. She suggested that I try a new Doctor and she put in the paperwork for Workers Comp approval. I could now have a new Doctor who ordered an MRI with Contrast and this time the results were so apparent I could read the MRI and see the damage myself. By this time, I have less than two months left before the Company forces me out of the Modified Duty program and puts me on Temporary Disability on October 22nd is my last day at work. The Total Temporary Disability program kicked in and I was officially off of work on Temporary Workers Comp Disability after a ten day waiting period beginning 10/23/17. The payments I received were not enough to live on in Southern California. My surgery was then scheduled for just after Christmas. Just before my surgery date I ended up getting the flu and ended up with Bronchial Pneumonia. As a result my surgery was cancelled until my white blood cell count was normal again.
One day during March I was at the Pharmacy to pick up medications for my wife and I. I used my Flexible Spending Account card to make the purchase and came to find out my account was locked by my Employer. First thing on Monday morning I call and find out that California law does not require the Employer to pay for your insurance while on Workers Comp Disability. In order for my insurance to be reinstated I was expected to pay the full balance of $4,500.00. I was able to pay for ½ of October and all of November, but as you can see, from December on I still owe and I have no way to catch up.
This is the invoice that shows how much that I currently owe my Company. I have blacked out any reference to the company that I work for because I don’t know if there would be any repercussions.
I still am responsible for and have to pay for the current month and each month hereafter. My Company expects the balance of $4,500.00 to be paid by May 21st 2018 plus pay our monthly insurance payment, or my Company will cancel our insurance
I have repeatedly pleaded with my Employer to accept small payments every month until I return to work and could pay current and arrears each week until it was paid off. My wife has three autoimmune diseases (Type1 Diabetes, Lupus and Vasculitis) and cannot stop any of her medications (i.e. Insulin, Chemo ect. ). If she were to stop it would be a life or death situation.
I only have until 5/21/18 to get the back owed portion paid or we are uninsured.
Thank you for your time and God Bless you for your consideration
Please feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk in depth about this…
UPDATED PORTION BELOW
After talking with my wife, I thought I should give more information and my opinion of the way that the large Corporations treat their employees over their Shareholders and top tier Managers. They can hand out Multi Million dollar bonuses over the duration of a couple of years, but cut as much as they can from (Every Where Else) just so they can look like a Super Hero at the share holder meetings!
As of this October, I will be starting my Tenth year working for the same Employer. I am an Industrial Machinist that works with heavy equipment daily. Back in 2010, I was injured, and as a result, was on Workers Comp and at the time was able to survive until I was able to return to work. I was put through hell because my Workers Comp Adjuster thought I was a dummy and knew nothing about the laws regarding Workers Comp. I taught myself about the California Department of Labor Relations Workers Comp laws and I was forced to fight them to keep my job and to get what was entitled to me under the law without an Attorney. I then returned to work with a severely damaged knee. I fought to get Lifetime Medical for my injury and I won, but because of Jerry Brown and former Governor Schwarzenegger, the law is in favor of the employer and not the injured worker. Now believe me I know firsthand. There is so much I could tell here, however it would take several pages alone, so I will not elaborate anymore.
You know what the worst part of this whole ordeal? Actually there is more than one.
First – The last time I was injured, they (My Employer) paid my portion of my medical, dental and vision insurance ect... along with the temporary disability payment until I was able to return to work. When I returned to work, on each paycheck I would make double payments for my benefits (one was for the arrears and one for the current) until I was caught up. Now they don’t do this anymore. Personally I suspect because its money they cannot report as earnings to the shareholders and because they are self-insured, it would be money out of their pocket. Besides, they never informed me that they were not paying my payments each month like before, so when my account was locked by the people they contract this out to, I was able to download the invoice for the $4,500 and I was in shock. All along I thought they were paying my portion just like last time I was on Workers Comp, but to my dismay they were not.
Second - Since the day I was injured, I cannot sleep in my bed next to my wife and I am forced to sleep in a reclining chair as it allows me to sleep with relatively little pain. I have been sleeping in the recliner for the last year and the Doctor tells me it will be another six months after the surgery until I can sleep in my bed again.
So, once again, thank you for your time. I am going to send this to as many people as I can on Twitter (i.e., the President, the Vice President, Senators, Governors, Congressmen and Congresswomen and anyone else who will listen and can HELP make a Difference); not just for me, but for all the others out there like myself. Maybe just maybe, someone will hear me and be able to make a difference in the future; for us “the little people”
Organizer
Paul Russell
Organizer
Riverside, CA
