ok so i reallllly need to vent and im so lost and confused.

so i have insurance through my mom. My surgery is scheduled for May 10th.

She just text me letting me know her company had a meeting today and they will be letting 24 people go and they will receive their notice of who it is on April 26th.

april 26!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why?!

i dont know how all this works. will her company give her a "grace period" of coverage and if so how long?

im so frustrated. i called the surgeons office and explained to them whats going on they said if i need to schedule it sooner they can move up and just to let them know asap. bc if i get it done on the 26th id have to start my liquid diet asap. im so unprepared for things im gonna need. my boyfriend was going to help me out with things and hes busting his butt as his job trying to get overtime in.

and to top it off the reason y i scheduled it for may 10th was to give me time bc the insurance will pay 90% and im responsible for 10% upfront.

so now im like great. and bc im getting this surgery i might lose my job. i took me 2 yrs to find a job and now i got a great one but ive only been here 2 months and i doubt theyd be ok with me asking for 2-3 weeks down time.

I'm not sure how large your Mom's company is, but most companies would be required to offer COBRA coverage after an employee is let go.

Basically, that means your mother would have the option to continue her current insurance for a period of up to 18 months, however she would have to pay the full premium cost.

In other words, assuming your mother wants to keep her insurance (which I assume most people do until they find other work), she will be able to continue under her current plan. It will be waaaay more expensive to pay the premiums, but a lot less than paying for the surgery out of pocket.

Your mom might be able to continue to pay into her employer's insurance for a few months if she's terminated. With my employer this is called COBRA and I think we can do this for 6 months at least but I don't know if that term is specific to my employer or not. Your mom's employer's HR group should be able to give her an answer on this quickly, especially if they're already preparing for layoffs.

Good luck to you!

I'm so sorry about all the complications.

You may not need 3 weeks. I got 2 weeks off, but I could have gone back after the weekend with only a couple days off. i was one of the ones who had it easy though.

You don't need much to get started. For the first two weeks I used the clear Isopure drink that they sell at GNC.

I'd say go for it earlier if you can swing it financially and try to get back to work ASAP IF you have a non-strenous job. Talk to them. See what they say. They will have a more productive and healthier worker if you get this done.

Any other opinions folks?

I don't know if you are religious, but I truly believe these are test God puts in front of us to test our faith. Please remember with God all things are possible! Nothing confirms that your mother will be apart of the people who will be let go and even if it's so things will work out for the best. Please keep us posted on any changes, and you will definitely be in my prayers

Wait, she said they will find out who gets laid off on the 26th? Are they going to be let go that day as well?

I had a job where I was laid off, but they told us a month in advance. Your mom may also want to check with her HR department to see if there will be a severance package entitling them to severance pay/benefits. Also check and see if the benefits end on the day they are let go, at the end of the month, or 30 days.

If it was me, I would keep the same date and arrangements but pay the high COBRA costs (if your mom is let go) because if you have the surgery and complications occur, you still have insurance to cover you.

I am sorry to hear about your troubles, and I hope your mom is not one of the 24!

Leslie

Wishing your mom job security and a positive outcome. Everything will be okay... just breathe. Do you know what your 10% will be? Is there someone to help you with the cost that you can repay? If you had to have emergency gall bladder surgery, would your job let you go? I've read that a lot of people are able to return to work after a week. Is there a leader at work with whom you can trust with your truth? Sometimes we are surprised by the support we receive when we dare to speak our truth.

Wishing you all the best.

I was going to say...I have worked in HR for twenty years and we usually offer a severance package that includes health insurance for a period of time. It depends on the size of the company, etc. But yes, as long as her company has the minimum number of people required, she will be able to get COBRA if nothing else.

Also about the time off...I took two weeks of work, but like the other poster, I feel I could have come back sooner. I did, however, get pretty tired, but I have an understanding boss, and I have a desk job so was able to transition pretty well. I think if you did your surgery on a Thursday, and had Friday/the weekend/Monday to recover, you might be able to go back Tuesday. But again, it depends on the kind of work you do and how your surgery goes, I also had a very positive post op recovery.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Well when I was let go from my job since they took the premiums out of my check I had 30days on the insurance then

After the 30 had a choice to move to the cobra plan so she maybe good for 30 days.

Sent from my iPhone using VST

^{Like the others mentioned, the company has to offer COBRA in the event your mother is let go. Praying she isn't the one to be on that unlucky list. You have to make sure you have a Plan B just in case. I'd reach out to your office and talk to them about a possible payment plan. I had to do that with mine when I originally had to pay $2000 out of pocket I told them what I had upfront and if a payment plan could be given. They normally didn't do payment plans but since I was a good paitent and always paid my office bill on time they made the arrangement to work with me. I wasn't going to let anything get in my way of this surgery. I'd talk to your employer too, let them know whats up and what options you have in the event your date gets moved up. Hoping everything goes well and your mom keeps her job and you have your surgery as plan. Good luck to you.}

It's really stressful to be in jeopardy of losing a job you love. I have a private practice and I only took 1 week off. It was tiring to go back to work, but I made it. This is can be considered as an emergency basis and your employer might be able to let you off for a small amount of time. They don't have to know it's a weight loss surgery. This is something that in only your business since it's medical related. Wish I could help more.

I would bump up the surgery date and negotiate a payment plan with your surgeon's office. Most surgeons are willing to do this and I hope it works out for you.

I could only take 1 week off from work. I had my surgery on a Friday and went back to work the following Monday so only 7 days later and did just fine. Not everyone can but a lot of people go through this surgery with little to no pain and that was me and might be you. You might just ask for one week off and then if anything goes wrong...then let them know you need another week.

Usually you are still covered for 30 more days after because the premium is paid in advance. I would move the date up just to be careful. Talk to your boss and explain the situation you may be surprised by their response.

I'm so sorry this happened! I pray it will all work out and I'm sure it will. Stay positive! Good Luck!

HEY EVERYONE.

i just wanted to say thank you to all of your for taking time out of your day to read my problem...for your words of encouragement....words of support and much appreciated advice. i spoke to my mom and she said she prays she isnt one of the ppl to be let go. but to go ahead and keep the date as it is. she has much faith everything will be ok and work itself out. so my surgery is still scheduled for the 10th of May. over the weekend i received drs forms for me to have an EKG, lab work and chest xray. so ill be doing all that one week b4 surgery. my pre-op condultation with my surgeon is may 7th. and i start my protein liquid diet April 25th. i think i might start a little b4 that to try and drop some much needed extra lbs.

thank you all of u once again. =]