Premiums for health insurance are due on or before the first of the coverage month. 

Consumers are protected from themselves – only to a degree, as you’ll see – with a 30 day grace period.

Some clients insist on paying group health premiums deep into the grace period every freakin’ month!

What if the payment isn’t received or processed?

Friday morning, one such client went to the hospital for a routine blood test and was told she had no coverage. She was sent home.

Panic call (to Guess Who?); “HELP!! What if this had been one of my employees?” (No shit, Sherlock!)

It could have been a lot worse.

Had this been an ER visit - where care cannot be denied - Guess Who’s responsible for the $300,000 bill when the carrier refuses to reinstate coverage? 

Friday’s routine episode was solved with just one phone call. (Somebody should buy a lottery ticket!) After initiating an EFT, the carrier agreed to reinstate coverage Monday (Uh, Oh!). BUT, given the payment history, “Quoth the Raven, Nevermore!”

The pity is, I’ve written a similar Tip before. And, had countless conversations on this topic. Always, with the same clients!

Withering grace. Period!