HIPAA-COBRA Experts Needed

[J.R.]

Can an employee contact his/her companies HR department to find out the cost of COBRA prior to termination? If so, does HIPAA protect the individual from having that inquiry spread around her employer's office? I'm pretty that information has to be keep private, but I'm not 100% sure.

-J.R.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

1.) Yes, I have had clients do this.

2.) Where it's not sensitive, secret, private info - why the need for confidentiality?

 

[James]

Can an employee contact his/her companies HR department to find out the cost of COBRA prior to termination? If so, does HIPAA protect the individual from having that inquiry spread around her employer's office? I'm pretty that information has to be keep private, but I'm not 100% sure.

-J.R.

Hummmm, does HIPPA protect one from inner office talk about leaving? I don't think it does even though one would hope that some sort of professionalism is present within their HR department. If not that itself might be seen as a good reason for leaving. Yet, I'm pretty sure if they want to know the cost they can call the Insurance Carrier themselves if they are worried about privacy, just guessing?

 

[J.R.]

Thanks guys.

 

[TXINSURANCE]

Once you let the cat out of the bag that you are considering leaving, you are toast.

Employers are also supposed hire someone 7 months pregnant that shows up for an interview - but no one does.

I don't think an employee would have a leg to stand on screaming about violating HIPAA for inter office chatter - no way.

The bigger issue you bring up is the fact that EMPLOYEES have NO CLUE what their Health Care cost and what portion the employer is paying. This would be nice to clearly print on the employees pay stub - then the employee would know the answer to their question and maybe not say "PER MONTH?" every time someone calls me for an IFP quote.

 

[Mr. Bill]

If innocently worded, a simple, "how much does this company pay toward my health care" should get the information out. It's really not that complicated, and is a lot better than How much woudl COBRA cost???

 

[LGilmore]

guys cobra rates have absolutely nothing to do with hipaa. Cobra rates and a decision to leave employment are not violations of personal medical information.

Actually the HR department should be putting that information together for the ee about to be termed.

 

[J.R.]

guys cobra rates have absolutely nothing to do with hipaa. Cobra rates and a decision to leave employment are not violations of personal medical information.

Actually the HR department should be putting that information together for the ee about to be termed.

That's a valid point, but the individual in question is on LTD and has cancer, which is why I brought up HIPAA.

 

[LGilmore]

While the information should be kept private, if he's already out on LTD, people know or worse, guess...