Danielle Waterfield was fired, rehired and fired once more from her job at CHIPS for America, a part of the Division of Commerce. Now, she fears her medical insurance was minimize off weeks in the past, though she was advised in any other case.
Andrea Hsu/NPR
conceal caption
toggle caption
Andrea Hsu/NPR
Danielle Waterfield was already coping with the shock and disappointment of being fired from a job she beloved.
An legal professional recruited to the Commerce Division’s CHIPS for America program in 2023, Waterfield had felt she was a part of one thing monumental, one thing that might transfer the nation ahead: rebuilding America’s semiconductor trade.
As an alternative, almost two months after being fired within the Trump administration’s purge of newer — or “probationary” — federal workers, Waterfield is enmeshed in a bureaucratic mess over her well being care protection. It is a mess that is left her fearing her whole household might now be uninsured.
“I have been within the personal sector. I’ve gone by way of layoffs,” says Waterfield. “I’ve by no means earlier than skilled this, and by no means for the lifetime of me thought the federal authorities would deal with individuals like that.”
Good well being advantages a perk of federal jobs
Strong advantages have lengthy been seen as a perk of federal jobs, a tradeoff for decrease pay. Consequently, many federal workers carry their households on their medical insurance plans.
However now, the administration’s “break first, ask questions later” strategy to remaking the federal forms has introduced a stage of chaos to the federal government that staff like Waterfield have by no means seen anyplace, even within the personal sector.
President Trump delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs as Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick holds a chart throughout an occasion within the Rose Backyard entitled “Make America Rich Once more” on the White Home in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
conceal caption
toggle caption
Brendan Smialowski/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Firings have been carried out with such haste that human useful resource departments have struggled to reply a primary query from these affected: Do we now have medical insurance?
Fired workers determined for data have as a substitute been given responses which might be complicated, conflicting and at occasions, flat out mistaken. Furthermore, a lot of that data has come too late. Some worry they’ve racked up medical payments that won’t be reimbursed, whereas others are avoiding medical care till they’ll get new insurance coverage.
The Commerce Division didn’t reply to NPR’s a number of requests for remark concerning the fired workers’ well being care protection. The U.S. Workplace of Personnel Administration, which handles many human useful resource capabilities for the federal authorities, solely supplied basic details about federal advantages however didn’t deal with particular questions.
How Waterfield and probably a whole lot of others just lately fired from the Commerce Division ended up on this scenario takes some explaining. The data vacuum that workers have encountered amid a authorized battle over their firings has actually compounded the chaos.
March 3: The unique termination
In court docket filings, the Commerce Division confirmed it fired near 800 probationary workers between President Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 and March 3.
Waterfield’s termination letter got here March 3. Instantly, she realized she wanted to determine medical insurance for her household. Her husband and two youngsters have been on her well being plan.
The Commerce Division despatched her a memo explaining the federal authorities’s benefits policy for separated employees: The federal government would supply a 31-day extension of her medical insurance following her final pay interval. She would owe no further premiums. After that, she would have 60 days to choose into federal workers’ equal of COBRA to proceed her well being advantages.
As an alternative, Waterfield began trying into the way to swap the household to the plan her husband’s employer supplied, an possibility she was grateful to have. However she could not try this till she may show a “qualifying life occasion” — in her case, a lack of medical insurance as a consequence of being fired.
After which, 10 days later got here a brand new twist.
March 17: Reinstatement
Ten days after Waterfield was terminated, a federal decide in Maryland discovered that her firing and that of greater than 24,000 different probationary workers focused by the Trump administration have been in all probability unlawful. He ordered them temporarily reinstated, restoring the established order.
To adjust to the decide’s order, the Commerce Division reinstated almost all the fired workers on March 17, placing them on paid administrative go away.
Waterfield assumed a return to the established order would imply her advantages can be restored. She was nonetheless paying her insurance coverage premium by way of her paycheck, however she needed affirmation. She requested human sources however heard nothing again. She despatched her reinstatement letter to Blue Cross Blue Defend and felt reassured when she acquired a response informing her she’d haven’t any break in protection.
“Inside per week, I had new insurance coverage playing cards despatched to my whole household,” she says.
Understanding that the Trump administration was interesting the decide’s order and that she could possibly be fired once more at any second, she took swift motion to make sure her household’s wellbeing. She moved up a bunch of medical appointments, together with a routine checkup for her teenager, a diabetes appointment for her husband, and her personal bodily remedy to deal with a spinal difficulty.
“Medical doctors have been very, very supportive,” she says. “They rescheduled issues and acquired us in.”
April 10: Terminated once more
Then on April 10 got here the notification Waterfield had dreaded. A day earlier, a panel of judges on the 4th Circuit Court docket of Appeals had discovered fault with the decrease court docket’s reinstatement order, and voided it.
Now, the Commerce Division was firing her as soon as once more, retroactive to her unique termination date. This time, there was no accompanying memo about advantages. Once more, inquiries to human sources went unanswered.
Waterfield logged on to her insurance coverage portal and noticed no change in standing. Her paystubs nonetheless confirmed that her well being care premium was being taken out of her paycheck. She stored the household’s docs appointments till this week, when her group chats lit up with frantic textual content messages.
A few her colleagues had simply heard from their insurers that their protection did certainly finish on April 8, according to what the Commerce Division had advised them earlier than the entire authorized saga started. Consequently, claims for bills incurred after that might not be paid.
Protesters collect on the Nationwide Mall for the “Fingers-Off” protest in opposition to the Trump administration on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
Dominic Gwinn/AFP by way of Getty
conceal caption
toggle caption
Dominic Gwinn/AFP by way of Getty
“I am afraid to name my insurance coverage firm”
NPR has since realized that fired workers at one other company inside the Commerce Division, the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, acquired a memo from the federal government on April 17 confirming the April 8 insurance coverage cutoff — a full week after they have been re-fired. That is even though a few of these workers had acquired verbal and even written assurances from supervisors that their protection would proceed uninterrupted. Now they do not know what to consider.
“I am afraid to name my insurance coverage firm,” says Waterfield.
Her colleague Keri Murphy, an administrative officer at CHIPS for America, is much more terrified. She had surgical procedure on her foot on April 17. That morning, she referred to as Blue Cross Blue Defend to verify she had protection and was advised she did.
“Blue Cross was exhibiting me as lively,” she says. “I paid my specialist co-pay of $50.”
That affirmation, together with the truth that her newest paystub confirmed she had paid her well being care premium, led Murphy to imagine she’d have well being protection for one more 31 days previous her April 10 re-termination date.
Now, she’s attempting to determine what she’ll do if she’s saddled with your complete value of her foot surgical procedure. Her solely selection could also be to choose into persevering with protection for one month. However she estimates that would value her round $2800, cash her household does not have given she simply misplaced her job.
She’s now nervous she might should cancel her follow-up appointment subsequent week, when her physician is meant to take away the bandages and take a look.
“This has been such a life-changing, devastating sequence of occasions that I do not know the way way more dangerous information I can take,” she says.
Tammy Flanagan, who previously labored in human sources on the FBI and now runs her personal consultancy, says these federal staff have carried out precisely what she would have suggested them to do on this scenario – name their insurers.
Past that, she’s unsure what to inform them.
“The place have authorities workers ever been fired after which rehired and fired once more? It is unknown territory,” she says.
Hoping for no emergencies
Jennifer Raulin (left) and a colleague work within the area on a government-supported challenge associated to marsh restoration. Raulin had simply began a federal job in coastal administration with the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in January earlier than being fired in February.
C. Weilminster
conceal caption
toggle caption
C. Weilminster
Jennifer Raulin, who had simply began a job at NOAA in January earlier than being fired in February, rehired in March and fired once more in April, had not needed to complain publicly concerning the ordeal she’s been by way of — till now.
“We’ve got been type of dwelling in purgatory for the previous couple of months, however this complete well being care factor has actually taken a darker flip,” she says. “This to me crossed a line … as a result of my children at the moment are concerned.”
One in every of her youngsters simply turned 11, however she is not taking him in for his annual checkup and the pictures that he is as a consequence of get, together with the HPV, Tdap and meningitis vaccines, till she has well being care protection once more.
Within the meantime, she’s additionally hoping for no emergencies.
“Each of my youngsters play baseball, and so now each time they’ve a sport, I maintain my breath and hope that they do not get harm,” she says.
She, too, feels lucky her husband’s employer presents a household insurance coverage plan. However they have not been capable of make the swap as a result of the federal government hasn’t despatched Raulin her termination paperwork proving a qualifying life occasion.
Till then, if somebody within the household results in the emergency room, she’ll should choose into persevering with protection, regardless of it being cost-prohibitive, she says. NOAA workers have been advised they’ve till June 7 to take action.
Not optimistic about one other reinstatement
Though a number of authorized challenges to the probationary workers’ firings are nonetheless enjoying out in court docket, Raulin and others usually are not optimistic this well being care scenario might be sorted out by one other ruling — or that they will get their jobs again.
“Attempting to comply with all these circumstances and the attraction course of is sort of like a full-time job, on high of looking for one other full-time job,” says Raulin.
Whereas Waterfield seems to be for brand new employment, she is doing what she will to assist different federal staff navigate the murky scenario, together with signing up together with her native bar affiliation to supply pro-bono authorized counsel — and help.
“Even when it is only a sense of giving an open ear, letting them know they don’t seem to be alone, that their feeling that this is not truthful is shared by others,” says Waterfield. “Letting individuals know that I really feel it with them.”
