Question by lilcabbage: Can an insurance company dictate how many hours you work a week?
My insurance company states that if I drop the insurance, I can work no more than 25 hours a week, can they do this?
Best answer:
Answer by heyyz
nup
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
It doesn’t sound right to me. Ring up the ombudsman and find out.
No, they can’t – in fact, it’s the opposite way around, If you work fewer than 25 hours a week, you’re automaticaslly dropped from insurance. You’re not ELIGIBLE for coverage.
I’d say that your employer has things mixed up. OR, your employer is trying to convince you to keep the insurance.
I think what is happening is this:
The Insurance Company has participation requirements. Your employer may need to have 75% of all eligible employees enrolled in their insurance plan. Waivers for those with coverage through their spouse do not count against them. So, let’s say that there are 50 eligible employees and if you were to waive coverage because it is too expensive, you don’t feel you need it, or any reason other than you have coverage through your spouse, it puts the group below the 75% requirement. Your election puts the whole group’s coverage in jeopardy. The easiest fix is to make you ineligible – cut your hours to below the threshold of a full-time employee.
Bottom line, your employer is trying to protect the integrity of the group health plan for the good of the company and its employees. They can cut your hours anytime they feel it is necessary for the fiscal well-being of the company. I think this qualifies.
It sounds like you’re not giving us the whole story. But, perhaps what they’re saying is you can’t drop your group coverage in between open enrollment unless you go part-time. Once you go part-time and drop it you could go back full time and they can’t do anything about it.
