Can employer take away your health insurance if you are pregnant and a fulltime employee?

The employer cannot take away your health insurance, unless the plan is dropped for all employees. To take away your health insurance would be a clear violation of the federal and state rules about discrimination against pregnant women. You would have a strong case to take to your state human rights commission.

The employer could not legally take away your health insurance, but they could do the next best thing: fire you. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not consider pregnancy to be a disability. Therefore employers do not have to make reasonable accomodation for pregnant employees. The result is that a pregnant employee could be legally fired because she needs more bathroom breaks, or cannot do heavy lifting.

For many women, being fired from a job means losing their group health insurance. COBRA coverage may be very expensive, especially for someone who is pregnant and probably cannot work full-time for a new employer.