A Florida single mom’s insurance had been forcibly canceled after she failed to pay her premium contribution of $0.05. Her plan was with HealthFirst, but in June of last year, a change in her family’s plan had caused her to rack up a non-payment debt of 1 cent a month. She wasn’t the only one who thought this was unfair; a sizeable number of online users believed the insurer was being unreasonable as well.
Lorena Hill, a single mom working to get her daughter through college, had recently taken her own mother off her family’s group plan because she became old enough for Medicare and Medicaid. According to KFF Health News, this small change caused Hill’s monthly premium contribution to increase from nothing to $0.01.
Hill noticed this but was allegedly told by her doctors that everything was fine and that her plan was still “active.” She initially tried not to worry about it until she received a harrowing letter, informing her that her coverage had ended in July. Since this 5-cent debt had been sent to a collection agency, her credit score, which was helping keep her daughter in college, was on the line.
Online Users Criticized Insurance Companies for Being Too Harsh on Customers
Although HealthFirst was “following the law” in canceling Hill’s insurance, many people on Reddit argue that this is nothing more than a company trying to penny-pinch money out of customers. “These people aren’t there to be your friend, they’re there to take your money,” remarked one commenter. “Is this what people mean by ‘nickel and dimed’?” joked a second.
One Redditor claiming to work in insurance says that they know clients who’ve had their plans canceled over a dollar, so cancellation over a 5-cent debt isn’t too surprising. “Yes, that is capitalism,” added a user. “That’s how it works. It’s bad for the customers, but great for the company owners.”
It’s not ideal for many people, but a few dollars or just several cents can cost them their insurance plan if they aren’t careful. While many agree that Hill’s case was certainly unreasonable, keeping an eye on debts of any amount is very important.
