Quote Originally Posted by cassiesmom View Post
One catastrophic illness or injury can use up an entire lifetime maximum really fast. What worries me is that if an employer has the choice of laying off me or someone else - and someone else has a child with cancer (or congenital heart disease or spina bifida or ??) and I am single with no dependents - will they lay off that person so as not to have to keep paying for their ill child's care? There are no easy answers.
That situation is specifically addresses in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Protection under the act is extended to people with disabilities, a history or perceived as and those who are associated with a person with a disability. This is to prohibit employers from doing exactly what you state - making a decision based on the (expensive) disability of a dependent.

As always there are two side. An expensive disability on the part of a dependent can cause a small employer to be unable to qualify for group medical - or at least at an affordable price.

On the other side - if the individual cannot get medical through an employer - no insurance company will sell them a policy so what are they to do?

Do employers still make decisions based on the cost of insuring an employee...well...