Freelancer's Union Freelancer's Union Insurance Insurance Cancellation with no notice New York New York

I've had insurance with Freelancer's for several years.   I fell behind.  I received a notice on 20 August 2014:

"You are receiving this email to notify you that as of August 20, 2014, we have not received your premium payment and payment is now past due. If your payment is not received by the last day of this month, your coverage will be discontinued. Please visit our billing and enrollment website for details:"

I had some interruption in my normal contract work as well as additional travel.

Per the notice, on 31 August 2014, I made a monthly payment of $169.19 (as an ACH debit), which posted to account on 9/3/2014 (presumably because of the holiday).   

On 4 September 2014, I received this notice: "Your new Freelancers Union e-Bill is now ready to be viewed. Please visit our billing and enrollment website for details"

I went to the website the next day and could not log in.  I assumed there were issues with the site and tried again a few days later.  On 8 September 2014, I tried to call their 800 number twice and both times got a verizom message saying the number was not in service.  I emailed their benefits@freelancersunion.org asking what was wrong.  Today, 11 September 2014 I received a reply from their email and was also able to call them.  My account was canceled for non-payment. 

I want to be very clear about what I'm complaining about here:  I was aware that the account was in arrears and at risk of cancellation.  Per the quoted email on 8/20, I made a payment.   It went through.  It was not until today, 9/11 that I discovered there was a problem, and that is that I needed to not make "a payment", but rather to bring the balance current.   It was my intention to do so when I tried to log in on 9/5.   Had I understood that the entire amount was due on 8/31, I would have paid it.    However, there was nothing in my email or on the website suggesting that cancellation was imminent.  

When I spoke with their rep today, they said, that they mailed (as in USPS) and cancellation notice that is more specific.   Unfortunately, I am a freelancer, and I travel between multiple addresses.  I have not read such a notice,  I assume I received it, but I do not know if the content was more specific than the email I received. 

So I now have to send a written request to reinstate, with a $50 fee.   I intend to reinstate.  But the reason I came to this website is this:  When I asked the rep if they could simply put a notice on their bill pay page on their website when I log in to pay it, she replied that HIPPA forbids them from doing this.   Now, let me be clear, that is a lie.    On this same login, I can review all aspects of my insurance, but a notification of cancellation is somehow not allowed?   That's funny because my Humana and healthcare.gov sites both email me and tell me on the site when I log in exactly what my billing status is.   The idea that disability and dental is exclusively called out in HIPPA to prevent me from knowing my billing status after I've securely logged in is completely absurd!  This upset me when she said that, and now I can't help but think that this is a convenient way for freelancers to simply collect more fees.  

I've had similar problems with this with freelancers before.  In fact, I made a similar complaint to bbb.org, but that seems to have mysteriously disappeared from their website--along with Freelancer's affiliation.  I should note, that this is the only cancellation I've had of any kind of insurance, credit, or service since 2006 (when I was basically unemployed for a time).  

So yeah, freelancers, could you fix your website and stop telling me lies about why you won't?   It would be nice if you at least acknowledged the problem.   Again, if I had known I was about to be canceled, I would have acted, and my 8/31 payment clearly suggests that I was making good faith payments, and my attempts to contact you this since 9/5 clearly shows I was intending to bring the account current.  

Quit being the most annoying billing system out of all that I have to deal with.