The $50 copay for his Plavix prescription was more than Leon Graybill could afford, even before he was laid off.

As of Saturday, Graybill and the other 299 people laid off Feb. 10 from Piper Aircraft Inc. are without employer-based health insurance. They join the growing ranks of unemployed people struggling to pay for individual health insurance — or more often, daring to go without insurance so they can pay to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table.

Graybill is a 55-year-old stroke and heart attack survivor with a bum knee. His wife is a 53-year-old per diem nurse, meaning she doesn’t get benefits. She is diabetic and needs some dental work.

“With all of that hanging around, insurance is crucial,” Graybill said.

But it also might be unaffordable.

The first thing many people discover after losing their jobs is that insurance is expensive through COBRA, the federal law that allows you to keep your group health coverage after losing the job for any reason other than gross misconduct. Employers typically pick up a large portion of employees’ monthly insurance premiums every month, but under COBRA, individuals pay the entire cost plus 2 percent.

Graybill used to pay $324 a month for family medical, dental and vision insurance. Keeping that coverage through COBRA could cost $1,134 a month, Graybill said. He also received an estimate for private insurance of about $450, he said. The federal stimulus bill could subsidize as much as 65 percent of COBRA payments for people laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, however, no one is sure how people will apply for this program or even how the money will be divvied up.

But COBRA isn’t the only option, insurance agents said.

Through the state’s Cover Florida program started earlier this year, several companies including United Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield offer cheap, basic policies that start as low as $55 per month for Floridians who have lost their jobs.

Private insurers also offer short-term policies, lasting as long as a year, with low premiums and high deductibles. These can get people through to the next job — the average job search on the Treasure Coast lasts four to seven months, according to state officials — or until they are eligible for Medicaid or Medicare, said Ellen Laden, representative for United Healthcare’s Golden Rule Insurance Co., which has offered Florida policies for more than 20 years.

Tommy Priest, another former Piper employee, doesn’t have to worry about insurance for his wife, who already receives Medicare because of a disability. But at 63, Priest won’t be eligible for the federal insurance program for more than a year.

Since the layoff, Priest decided to retire — “I’m going to sit back and read the paper and drink my coffee,” he said — but still isn’t sure what he’ll do for insurance. However, he did make sure to stock up on his blood pressure medication before his Piper-supplied coverage ended.

He’s not alone. Graybill also stockpiled medications before March and rescheduled doctor’s appointments to get in before the insurance cut off. Meanwhile, Treasure Coast social service agencies and health workers report an increasing number of patients rationing their medications to reduce expenses.

Most pharmaceutical companies have programs offering free or reduced drugs for people struggling to pay bills, said Tabetha Ruple, a St. Lucie Medical Center nurse who works with stroke patients. Social service agencies such as United Way, Mustard Seed Ministries and House of Hope also can help or point people in the right direction.

Even with help, some people just can’t fit insurance into their budgets.

Michele Tyndall, a single mother just laid off from Piper, plans on going without health insurance. Her 6-year-old and 11-month-old daughters have coverage through the state’s children’s insurance program and Tyndall found a policy for herself through Blue Cross that was cheaper than the coverage Piper offered.

“But I really can’t afford even that,” Tyndall said, on her way from applying for a free lunch for her daughter. “Unemployment won’t kick in for three to four weeks — my mom was laid off (from Piper) in January and her first check didn’t come in for six weeks — so I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

– Hillary Copsey

Tags: budget, employment, housing, insurance, jobs, layoffs, medical, Piper, unemployed, unemployment

This entry was posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 9:59 am and is filed under Economy, Port St. Lucie, Schools, Treasure Coast business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.