Does your employer ever find out what health issues you have from the insurance co?

I do a physical labor type job and get paid pretty well. My back and neck have been killinme lately after working 12-14 hous shifts many times and ive been avoiding the docs because where i work, if you even show a glimpse of pain, tben your pretty much done.

Just wondering if there is confidentiality.

Originally posted by dominicus
I do a physical labor type job and get paid pretty well. My back and neck have been killinme lately after working 12-14 hous shifts many times and ive been avoiding the docs because where i work, if you even show a glimpse of pain, tben your pretty much done.

Just wondering if there is confidentiality.

Well, I can see your point about them laying you off......BUT if you go to the Dr. and don't claim it as an injury from work where WCB (here in BC) gets involved, all you would need is a note from your Dr. saying that you require a week or two off due to personal injury. Dr's do have an oath of confidentiality unless you are planning on hurting yourself or others.

reply to post by dominicus


Best bet is to either a. pay for it out of pocket or b. say that you hurt yourself helping somebody move an extremely heavy piece of furniture or doing a lot of heavy yard work or something. Doctors have an oath to confidentiality...insurance companies don't, and there are ways around those medical privacy laws. Me? I'd just pay for it out of pocket.

reply to post by dominicus


If you are paying out of pocket there is no way for the employeer to find out. It is against the law for them to disclose the information. It is technically against the law for the insurance company to disclose to the employeer as well (both are governed under the privacy components of HIPPA which you can research). There have been issues with respect to privacy protection from certain employers and the government has been slow to respond to those claims. The other issue is that should the firm be small it is possible for the employeer to back into the claims made by an employer.

That being said, you should cover yourself to the extent that you have a serious injury and are entitled to workman's comp. I would go to the doctor and pay out of pocket initially to get the injury on record before submitting it to insurance.

reply to post by dominicus


I know there's a confidentiality law that doctors nor hospitals can divulge information to an employer about any of your medical problems. A nurse once told me that another nurse lost her job when an employer called the hospital and asked why his employee was in the hospital. The nurse told the employer why and she was immediately let go the following day!

Once my son turned 18, unless he authorizes my wife or I to know his medical conditions, the hospital won't even release details to the parents!

You have rights if an employer is going to let you go based upon physical or medical problems. If you're medical problem is job related, than you may be able to get workers comp if it's debilitating.

This is just my own personal opinion.

They are not supposed to see this information but I believe they do. For instance, if your employer covers much of your insurance then I believe after a certain point your health issues should create an increase in your policy. Depending on the size of your company, it could be a flag that one person is causing the increase versus many people.

Some people sign over their rights to be anonymous in these situations via worker's comp, employer notification, time off requests, sick leave, physical therapy claims... Some even make reports available to their employer acting as an interested party. For instance, working in a health care lab may require you to report HIV results.

You are supposedly protected by HIPAA but it doesn't always work out that way.

I was told by a group insurance rep last week that technically they shouldn't be told. But, in reality, they can usually figure it out, Word gets around that someone is on very expensive high-blood pressure medication for instance , and they know from their group claims figures who it is. They can't legally fire you for this particular issue, but they could find other reasons to get rid of you (downsize your job for instance).

This discussion came up, as we were talking about someone we both knew that was on a DI claim for cancer.He told me the company was trying to find a way to fire him. I was shocked and he looked at me like I was a bit out of it. Seemed to think this was part of doing business and just the way it was.

The answer is a definate YES. I have worked in employee benefits since 1993. I have worked for a large insurance company in the past, and yes employers find out who has large claims and potential outlooks on conditions (for future claim costs and for reinsurance purposes). HIPPA laws you say? Well, it's okay if the employer has a business partner agreement with the insurance carrier or third party administrator.

Originally posted by Lynzer
The answer is a definate YES. I have worked in employee benefits since 1993. I have worked for a large insurance company in the past, and yes employers find out who has large claims and potential outlooks on conditions (for future claim costs and for reinsurance purposes). HIPPA laws you say? Well, it's okay if the employer has a business partner agreement with the insurance carrier or third party administrator.

That being said, that is only if the employee files an insurance claim do to injury on the job. If the employee doesn't make a claim then the Dr/hospital/nurse is under law not to divulge any info to the employer no?