N Carolina man loses health cover after one missed payment, cancels treatment
A North Carolina man lost his health insurance coverage after missing a single premium payment, leaving him unable to afford necessary medical treatments. The incident highlights rigid administrative policies in the US healthcare system that prevent reinstatement after coverage lapses.
Why it matters
It illustrates significant gaps and administrative pitfalls within the US private health insurance market that can lead to severe financial and health consequences.
For 12 years, Cord Silverstein paid for health insurance without interruption. Then one missed monthly payment turned into a coverage crisis for his entire family and forced him to postpone a medical treatment costing as much as $20,000, states a report by American web portal AOL. The Morrisville, North Carolina, resident believed he had enrolled in automatic payments, but the arrangement failed and after paying his May premium, he missed the June payment. Later, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina notified him on July 7 that his policy had been canceled, states the report. Six days later, Silverstein contacted the insurer, prepared to settle the outstanding bill. By then, however, reinstatement was no longer an option under the terms of his policy.
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