Can My Employer Stop Paying For My Private Health Insurance When I’m Out Of Work Because Of A Work Injury?
Unfortunately, for most of us, an employer can stop paying for private health insurance while an injured worker is out of work. Unless you are working under a specific employment or union contract that says otherwise, your employer can stop paying for your private health insurance when you are out of work because of a work injury. REASON? Health insurance is a benefit that an employer gives to an employee in exchange for their services. When the injured employee is no longer able to provide the employer with their services because of a work injury, the employer has the right to take back the benefit, i.e. health insurance. The injured worker has the right to continue to carry their private health insurance under the federal COBRA plan after the employer stops paying for it but, at the employee’s expense. The employee will be charged the same group rate under these circumstances that the employer pays though for most injured workers who are on a fixed income on comp, paying several hundred extra dollars a month for private health insurance is prohibitive. We can only hope that the Pa Legislature addresses this unexpected tragedy at some point in the future.