Can You Get Medical If You Are Unemployed

Unemployment Tip: Voluntary Quit For Medical Reasons

DecisionHRs unemployment vendor, Employers Edge, has laid out some detailed information regarding voluntary employee quit for medical reasons. Read on to learn about the ins and outs of medical quits.

Health and medical reasons account for a significant number of voluntary separations from employment. Most states consider certain medical reasons to be good cause for quitting employment, and a claimant may be entitled to benefits if they quit under these circumstances. In addition, while usually related to the health of the employee themselves, medical reasons resulting in a quit for good cause can also be related to the health condition of a spouse or dependent child .

As with all unemployment regulations, the specific rules vary by state. However, below is a list of the most common issues states will consider for medical quits:

If any of these conditions were not met, there may be good grounds for protesting this type of claim as these are the most common criteria that must be met in order for the quit to be considered for good cause. For that reason, it is very important that you provide answers to each of the questions asked by your Claims Specialist with regard to the circumstances involved in a quit for health or medical reasons. They will help you determine if the state is likely to grant or deny benefits to the claimant based on the above criteria.

*Note: These provisions do not apply to reimbursing employers

What Are The Requirements For Quitting And Collecting Unemployment

Many people wonder, Can you collect unemployment if you quit? If you quit your job, it must be for good cause to qualify for unemployment. If you voluntarily leave for other reasons, then you will not be able to receive unemployment benefits. This is why it is important to know the laws in your state before leaving your job. You might find yourself between jobs with no income and have a hard time making ends meet.

Can You Get Medicaid While Collecting Unemployment

If you try to qualify for Medicaid, it doesn’t matter whether you’re employed or not. What matters is that your income is low enough for you to qualify and that you meet whatever other standards your state imposes — although Medicaid is a federal program, each state sets its own rules. For instance, you might qualify in California, but not in Florida.

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What Are Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits

The Employment Insurance program offers temporary financial assistance to unemployed workers. This assistance includes providing sickness benefits to people unable to work because of sickness, injury, or quarantine.

If you cannot work because of sickness, injury or quarantine, but you would otherwise be available to work, you could be eligible to receive up to a maximum of 15 weeks of EI sickness benefits.

Negotiate A Medical Debt With A Hospital

Nonprofit hospitals are required to provide financial assistance for low-income patients. About two-thirds of the hospitals in the U.S. are nonprofit, including those run by a state or municipal government. Check with the billing office about applying for assistance.

The hospital also may be willing to negotiate a lower bill. Collection agencies buy debt from hospitals for much less than what is owed, and the hospital would rather work with patients.

AARP suggests looking up the average cost for the procedure or treatment and using that as a negotiating point. Typical prices can be found by checking Healthcare Bluebook or FAIR Health Consumer.

If you lost your insurance when you lost your job, ask the hospital for the same rate insured patients pay, AARP says.

If you work out a payment plan with the medical provider, youll have to make monthly payments and you may be charged fees or interest.

You can also enlist the help of a professional at a debt settlement firm to help with negotiations. An experienced debt specialist can help you decide on a settlement offer, and they have experience negotiating with creditors.

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Tips If Youre Unemployed And Need Health Care

It might be impossible to predict when your job could be coming to an end, but there are things you can do to keep yourself ahead of the game and have a backup plan if you suddenly find yourself out of work and out of health insurance.

1. Start to find new coverage as soon as possible.

Even before you leave a job, theres nothing wrong with talking to those helpful folks in Human Resources about your health insurance benefits and what will happen to them if you leave. Youll be able to find out how much COBRA coverage will cost you and use this info to decide whether to stick with COBRA or go it alone in the health insurance marketplace.

2. Have all your important details ready.

When youre all set to talk COBRA or marketplace or even Medicaid, heres the information you should have ready: your income, total household income, Social Security number, pay stubs, tax records, information about your current health insurance plan, and the number of dependents in your household.

3. Get advice from an independent insurance agent.

4. Keep your emergency fund full.

An emergency fund is a must no matter what your situation is in life! But its super important if youre out of work and out of health insurance coverage. Your emergency fund takes away the worry of those unpredictable trips to the doctor and routine checkups that come with out-of-pocket costs. Having a fully funded emergency fund will give you the ability to pay for insurance during a gap period without all the stress.

Affordable Care Act Plans

On the federal government’s health care site, Healthcare.gov, you can learn about the health insurance options created by the Affordable Care Act. If your state operates its own health insurance marketplace, you can find it through Healthcare.gov to avoid fraudulent sites.

Losing a job or your health benefits is considered a qualifying event that should let you enroll outside the standard open enrollment period. Because of the coronavirus, many states have opened up special enrollment periods so anyone without insurance can get coverage.

Depending on your specific situation, you might qualify for subsidies on the insurance marketplace. Lowering your health insurance costs when youre unemployed can relieve some of the financial pressure you may face after a layoff.

On the marketplace, you can compare options from different health insurers with potentially different participating providers. Youll also see different tiers of coverage , monthly premiums, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums.

Look for a plan that covers the health care providers and facilities you care most about and specific prescriptions you may take. Think about your tolerance for covering a deductible if you need care versus paying more each month. Beware of plans that hit you both ways there are sometimes available plans that do not offer great value.

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Best For Singles: Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente

Why We Chose It: We chose Kaiser Permanente as our best for singles pick because they offer top-rated health insurance policies, the option to add a Health Savings Plan , and the convenience of an integrated health system.

• Streamlined online quotation and application process

• Superior ratings for customer satisfaction

• All-in-one insurance and health care

• Mobile app for the tech-savvy

• 5/5 stars rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

• Limited to using Kaiser facilities

• Only available in eight states and the District of Columbia

Health industry giant Kaiser Permanente provides a range of policies at price points to suit most and has options to add a Health Savings Account, which allows you to set money aside for health care. When finances are an issue during times of unemployment, every cent counts, which is why along with their superb reputation Kaiser is our top pick for singles.

Kaiser Permanente is a managed care organization. You cannot only purchase a health insurance policy from them but also use one of the 39 Kaiser Foundation Hospitals or 724 medical offices for health care.

Policies include Medigap, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, individual and group health insurance, dental, and vision.

J.D. Power and Associates consistently ranks Kaiser at the highest level for customer satisfaction. However, Kaiser doesnt have Better Business Bureau accreditation.

If You Do Lose Health Care Coverage

The price tag for COBRA or a Marketplace plan may leave you feeling a bit ill, so you may be tempted to forgo health care coverage altogether. Thats not advisable, given the spread of COVID-19.

Amid the spread of the coronavirus, many health insurance plans are offering to waive the copay for teledoc visits and fees for prescription delivery. The cost of treatment on your own could far exceed the monthly premiums.

But if you have no other options, there are still a few stop-gap measures you can take to cover costs until you can afford a plan.

Some states have opened an emergency enrollment period for health insurance regardless of your employment status. Check your states eligibility by entering your zip code at healthcare.gov.

If you previously had a high-deductible plan and were contributing to a Health Savings Account you can use that money to cover healthcare costs even after you leave the plan.

You can still continue to use your HSA you just cant contribute to it while you dont have a high deductible health plan, said Alexandra Wilson, a Certified Financial Planner.

Money that you put into an HSA is yours to keep unlike a Flexible Spending Account, another health expense account, which has a use-it-or-lose-it annual requirement.

Some states are also helping out: New York state, for instance, is suspending collection of medical debt owed to the state. Check with your states attorney general for updates in your area.

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Individual Private Health Insurance

Individual private health insurance is a plan you purchase from a non-government exchange. Shopping on a private exchange, like eHealth, allows you to have more variety in your coverage options. You will also have the option of shopping for ACA-compliant plans, and youll even be able to apply for subsidies through eHealth by proxy.

Keep in mind that since the ARPA expanded qualifications for subsidies, you might now be eligible for assistance even if you did not qualify before. According to the new rules, enrollees now do not pay more than 8.5% of their income towards their insurance coverage, which has been reduced from nearly 10% under the prior limits. In addition, those earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level may now qualify for subsidies. In 2021, that includes individuals making about $51,000 or less annually and families of four making more than $104,800 annually.

If you find that subsidies arent an option for you, youll also be able to shop for alternative individual and family plans that may offer less benefits but be within in your price range. Short-term health insurance and catastrophic plans are two options that fall into this category.

Attempts To Change State Laws Have Largely Stalled

Legislators in several states have proposed making discrimination based on vaccine status illegal and guarantee access to unemployment benefits if a worker doesnt comply with their employers vaccination policy.

Tennessee saw one such bill introduced in its Senate in February 2021 to prevent discrimination based on vaccination status. The bill would also ensure access to unemployment benefits for unvaccinated people who decide to leave their jobs, but it has not yet been considered in committee.

In Idaho, a bill passed the House to prohibit discrimination based on vaccination status. It has not been taken up in the Senate, where it has sat since February.

A bill in Michigans House of Representatives would prohibit employers from discriminating against employees who dont get vaccinated. It was introduced in March, but not considered in committee.

In January 2021, Alaskas General Assembly introduced a bill to prohibit mandatory vaccination in the workplace. Arizona, sought to prohibit vaccination status as a condition of employment, but the proposal died in committee in .

Smith says its unlikely that any laws like this get passed to protect workers who dont want to get vaccinated.

If in fact those types of laws are passed, it is completely opposite of the basic fundamentals of labor and employment law, that if youre fired for cause, you cant get unemployment, she says.

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Go Online To Create Your Own My Service Canada Account

My Service Canada Account is a fast and convenient way to securely:

• confirm any decision made about your Employment Insurance application
• see details on your payments and deductions
• view and update your personal information
• view your EI tax information slips
• view all Records of Employment your employers submitted electronically in the last two years
• view and print your Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions and benefit estimate and
• register to access EI special benefits for self-employed people.

How To Get Health Insurance When Youre Unemployed

• Choosing the Right Health Insurance When Youre Unemployed

Losing your job is bad enough without losing your health insurance, too. Unfortunately, that’s what happens every year to millions of Americans whose health care coverage is provided by their employers. There are many options for getting health insurance when you’re unemployed, including COBRA, the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace, joining a spouse’s plan or even purchasing individual coverage. To ensure you don’t miss your chance to enroll, however, you need to act fast.

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Appealing An Unemployment Decision

If you have been denied benefits, you can always appeal that decision. You will need to provide your Social Security number and other contact information to appeal the decision made by the state unemployment agency. You should contact your states agency for the specific process, but be prepared to gather plenty of documentation to support your claim. You may need to find witnesses and present evidence to show why your claim was wrongfully denied.

What To Do If You Get Furloughed

If you get furloughed, some of these same options may apply. First, though, talk to your employer about what the furlough means for you. Generally, a furlough signifies the employers intention to rehire, but not the specifics of wages or health benefits.

Will they continue to pay for your health insurance during the furlough? If not, perhaps they would consider paying for part of the costs it cant hurt to ask. If they cant or wont contribute to your health insurance costs, get documentation to prove you lost your benefits. Then, explore whether COBRA, a marketplace plan or Medicaid might work.

Even in the best of times, navigating health insurance options can be overwhelming. There are options available to protect you and your family financially. Finding the right coverage while you are unemployed can help you weather this uncertain time.

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Will The 2021 Stimulus Bill Help With Health Insurance For The Unemployed

COVID-19 is finally in the rearview mirror for many Americans and the American Rescue Plan comes with a few major health care perks. Essentially, it makes health insurance for unemployed individuals much more affordable. Lets look at how it plays with COBRA and the ACA marketplace.

If you chose COBRA to get you through unemployment, the American Rescue Plan subsidizes COBRA premiums 100% for a limited time. It also extends the dates of COBRA coverage for individuals whose right to coverage previously ended. That can make a big difference if youre in a tough spot. But rememberyou have to be unemployed involuntarily to qualify for these perks.

If you chose to purchase a plan from the ACA marketplace, and youre unemployed involuntarily, theres more good news. The American Rescue Plan increases the size of the subsidy to help unemployed folks pay for ACA health care premiums. Depending on the size of your family and your yearly income, you might be eligible for more help.

Ease Your Health Insurance Worries With Help From An Expert

Heres the truth: Trying to figure out your health insurance can be really overwhelming, especially if youre unemployed. Why not take the stress out of it and let an independent insurance agent guide you? Having an agent step in to make sense of it all is really helpful.

Among other details, an independent agent will know your particular states laws vs. federal policies. Even better? Theyll be able to save you money by knowing how and when to apply the perks of the American Rescue Plan.

Ready for some good advice and peace of mind from trusted insurance experts in your area? Start the process today by talking with an Endorsed Local Provider .

About the author

Ramsey Solutions

Ramsey Solutions has been committed to helping people regain control of their money, build wealth, grow their leadership skills, and enhance their lives through personal development since 1992. Millions of people have used our financial advice through 22 books published by Ramsey Press, as well as two syndicated radio shows and 10 podcasts, which have over 17 million weekly listeners.

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You Have Accumulated At Least 600 Hours Of Insurable Employment During The Qualifying Period

Hours of insurable employment are the hours you work, for one or more employers under written or verbal contracts of service, for which you receive wages.

The qualifying period is the shorter of:

• the 52-week period immediately before the start date of your EI claim or
• the period since the start of a previous EI benefit period, if that benefit period started during the last 52 weeks.

To be eligible for EI sickness benefits, you must have accumulated at least 600 hours of insurable employment in your qualifying period.

If you are a self-employed fisher, you must have earned $3,760 from fishing during the 31-week qualifying period immediately before the start of your benefit period. For more information on EI benefits for self-employed fishers, consult the guide called Employment Insurance Benefits for Fishers .