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Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

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Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#21

Post by free652 »

anactualmd wrote: post #18
lftl wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not in any huge way that I see. She was on employer provided insurance, which won't undergo any huge changes that would change her situation. After the FMLA time period (where her employer could keep her on their insurance without her paying extra), she's now on COBRA which is basically an additional period where you can pay the full cost of your employer's plan to the insurance company directly, and extend your cove…

My understanding is that Cobra becomes available after termination. Therefore, she's already unemployed.

Kinda. My GF can get a cobra during an unpaid leave.

So my GF is expecting a baby in December, so for the 6 months she has discounted healthcare and then if she doesn't come back. She gets unpaid leave and Cobra.

Technically she wont be terminated, but she will have Cobra.

Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#22

Post by noonespecial »

rtb wrote: post #5

(As a brit) I don't understand this: "Molly was employed at the small NPO Knowbility as the Open Web Evangelist. Knowbility was able to put her on Family and Medical Leave which allowed Molly to retain her health insurance coverage. The FMLA time period has ended and the only coverage available now is through COBRA." So she had health insurance, but now that she's ill and has to stop work, it is stopping? If health i…

Part of the confusion is that "health insurance" isn't so much insurance any more but part payment gateway, part tax deduction system and part salary augmentation.

It's better to say she lost her health care when she lost the ability to keep paying for it. The real insurance is called disability insurance now.

Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#23

Post by lftl »

anactualmd wrote: post #18
lftl wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not in any huge way that I see. She was on employer provided insurance, which won't undergo any huge changes that would change her situation. After the FMLA time period (where her employer could keep her on their insurance without her paying extra), she's now on COBRA which is basically an additional period where you can pay the full cost of your employer's plan to the insurance company directly, and extend your cove…

My understanding is that Cobra becomes available after termination. Therefore, she's already unemployed.

COBRA is available immediately once you're unemployed (left voluntarily or most of the time if you're fired), and it will still be the only short-term option for someone in Molly's position under the ACA. If you become unemployed and ill, you'll still need COBRA to cover you until you can get on an individual plan which will be available at the start of the next calendar year.

Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#24

Post by DanBC »

rtb wrote: post #5

(As a brit) I don't understand this: "Molly was employed at the small NPO Knowbility as the Open Web Evangelist. Knowbility was able to put her on Family and Medical Leave which allowed Molly to retain her health insurance coverage. The FMLA time period has ended and the only coverage available now is through COBRA." So she had health insurance, but now that she's ill and has to stop work, it is stopping? If health i…

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/...

> Medical problems caused 62% of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. in 2007, according to a study by Harvard researchers. And in a finding that surprised even the researchers, 78% of those filers had medical insurance at the start of their illness, including 60.3% who had private coverage, not Medicare or Medicaid.

EDIT: Insurance is a scam and insurers are evil.

Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#25

Post by nekopa »

I want to help, but all I have is time and skills. So if anyone here needs some English language proof reading done (I do have some tech skills but they are very rusty) contact me, I will do the work, and you can donate something to this cause.

Email is in my profile, and I'm the head teacher for a language school so my skills are good. My problem is I have two small babies and I live in a low income country so even $10 is tough for me to give right now, but I'm a worker, and I will pull an all nighter to do this.

Honor code, I trust you to donate, send proof if you can, but either way I hope I can do something to help. I don't care how much (I know people who need English proof reading are probably coming from low income countries too) but anything would be good.

Lee

Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#26

Post by raelshark »

lftl wrote: post #8
diydsp wrote: post #4

Just out of curiosity, is this the kind of thing the Affordable Care Act would be expected to help?

Not in any huge way that I see. She was on employer provided insurance, which won't undergo any huge changes that would change her situation. After the FMLA time period (where her employer could keep her on their insurance without her paying extra), she's now on COBRA which is basically an additional period where you can pay the full cost of your employer's plan to the insurance company directly, and extend your cove…

My understanding is that she wouldn't be able to jump to individual insurance given her health status until pre-existing condition coverage kicks in this January.

Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#28

Post by blahpro »

Molly's books were what really got me started with web development. She was kind enough to send me a signed copy of one of her books when I was probably ~13 years old after emailing her. About ten years later, I was able to meet up with her here in the UK for a coffee, which was lovely.

If you can, please support Molly's treatment with a donation. Thank you.

Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#29

Post by frobozz »

waterlion wrote: post #10
rtb wrote: post #5

(As a brit) I don't understand this: "Molly was employed at the small NPO Knowbility as the Open Web Evangelist. Knowbility was able to put her on Family and Medical Leave which allowed Molly to retain her health insurance coverage. The FMLA time period has ended and the only coverage available now is through COBRA." So she had health insurance, but now that she's ill and has to stop work, it is stopping? If health i…

I don't know which Labour party you're talking about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_National_Health_...

The one that appointed Aneurin Bevan as Minister of Health.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aneurin_Bevan

Re: Help Us Help Molly Holzschlag

#30

Post by ck2 »

Best wishes to Molly for a speedy recovery and to feel better soon.

Thank goodness she is famous, even if lesser known by the mainstream and friends can appeal to help her.

For those that think the ACA (obamacare) will solve this after January, nope.

A full half of the states [1] have denied medicaid expansion (because the supreme court ruled they could turn it down) which means if you fall into the gap where you "make too much money" ($12k - $16k) you cannot get health insurance.

So if you got ill but were trying to work part time to stay in your home/pay rent, you will probably make too much to get health insurance!

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/10/02/us/uninsured-a...

This is probably going to cause "healthcare migration" where people who get ill have to move to get assistance if they have some income but not enough.

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