My Mom’s Insurance Was Never Canceled After Her Retirement—Could We Face Legal Trouble?

Hi, this is my first Reddit post, and I’m hoping you all can offer some good advice. Last year, I (23F) found out that my dental insurance was canceled, but not my health insurance. Both were under my mother (44F) as she is the policyholder and I am her dependent. When I called around to her employers to find out what happened, I was told that both the health and dental insurance were supposed to be terminated because it had been five years since my mom retired from her job. During that call, they mentioned that the insurance should have been terminated two years ago and that it was a mistake that my health insurance was still active. They said they would cancel it now that I brought it to their attention. It’s been a year since then, and they still haven’t done so.

At that time, I had just started my first full-time job and was able to sign up for insurance with my employer, using the same insurance company. However, my mom’s employers still haven’t terminated her insurance. Despite my efforts, I can’t stop my medical expenses from being charged to both insurances, with my mother’s being considered primary due to something called “coordination of care.” I’ve tried to remove myself from my mom’s insurance, but only her employers can make changes to the account.

Insurance agents have warned me that my mom’s employers could eventually sue us for using an account we shouldn’t have access to. I’m really worried about this because I don’t want to end up with debt or legal issues. The last time I tried to speak to her employers, it was very complicated since I didn’t know who to call, didn’t have my mom’s employee info, and she was no longer in the database. It was a big headache.

This time, when I spoke to an insurance agent, she gave me the contact info of someone who works for my mom’s union and might be able to help. Although I want to resolve this issue, I’m hesitant to cancel my mom’s insurance because she relies heavily on it. For some background, my mom had a tumor-like mass in her brain and underwent surgery to remove it when I was 16. The surgery didn’t go well and left her in a bad state. She’s not a vegetable, but she has many health issues, is morbidly obese, and her mind isn’t fully there. My grandmother (80F) takes care of her and my uncle (52M), who has early-onset dementia. They live in another state. Fortunately, my mom has Medicare, but my grandma still uses my mom’s insurance despite my warnings.

I don’t want to take away my mom’s health insurance because she really needs it, but I also don’t want to face any repercussions. My grandma found my mom’s employee number, and now I have a representative’s contact information. What should I do? Thank you in advance!