Former Employer Health Insurance appears active

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Hello I was terminated from my job in December 2023. I specifically remembered HR telling me that i would be on the company’s health insurance plan only through the end of the december.

I do not remember if i signed up for COBRA. If they sent me anything in the mail, I likely would have thrown it away without reading it.

At the end if june i fractured my clavicle and went to ER. When they asked for my health insurance info i was very embarrassed and pretended to look for my card in my wallet or check on my smartphone. I knew i would have to tell them i had no health insurance but exactly as i was about to tell them, the nurse pulled up my plan on the computer that i had w my most recent employer. She told me i had such and such insurance and that my deductible was 5k or something(much higher than the ER bill)

The doctor prescribed me many different pain medications. When i went to pick them up. The pharmacist noticed there was an issue with some of the medications not being ocovered by insurance. I thought, now they know i do not have insurance. When she fixed the issue. The price i had to pay was much less than the initial price she told me. She said they were all covered insurance now.

Today i visited the orthopedist and he is recommending surgery for my injury. I asked him for an estimate of what it would cost w no insurance. He quoted me 5k-10k. He left and a staff member came in w the estimate form of what my surgery would cost.

On this estimate form, the price for surgery is calculated as if i have insurance. It shows my deductible, what i have paid so far toward my deductible and how much deductible remained. The nurse/staff member assures me after the deductible is paid, insurance will pick up the remaining cost.

Finally when i went to pay for the visit today, i asked for a printout of my receipt. On my receipt it shows that my insurance payed for half of the bill and i paid the remaining. I didnt get the chance to tell the billing service i am unemployed. They didnt ask me for my insurance

Did my insurance actually pay for that doctors visit or did the hospital merely just bill the insurance company?

Unless u sign up for COBRA when u elect ur insurance plan benefits, i dont ever remember signing up for it. I know there is a hefty monthly premium for COBRA. My bank account would definitely have noticed if i were paying those premiums for the last 6 months w no job.

I tried checking online the insurance company itself but i can’t remember the password to the account and that account is tied to my former work email, which i definitely no longer have access to.

Will my insurance realize i am no longer employed for that company and bill me the amounts later down the road? insurance bc i am no longer employed. I need to make sure i am not committing health insurance fraud

TLDR: i have been unemployed for 6 months. I suffered an injury where I needed to visit a doctor. It appears my health insurance from my former employer is still active. I am certain i did not sign up for COBRA. Has this situation ever happened to anyone and what is your experience?

submitted by /u/Wooden_Percentage551
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