After years of paying premiums for health insurance, former and current employees of a large metro employer are angry because they no longer have coverage.

He's driven America's highways for 40 years with faith in his rig and in his employer's health insurance plan. When Merit Transportation filed bankruptcy, truck driver Gary VanNatta's eye surgery claim detoured back to him.

"I'm stuck with $6,000 worth of bills. They've already took the money out of my check for my part toward paying it, and they haven't done it?"

Attorney Kim Loncke, who represents eight Merit employees, has an example of what one is going through. "They had a medical emergency. It cost $86,000 and they found out they didn't have insurance for it."

The president of Merit Transportation tells Channel 6 News the health insurance premiums of some 300 workers have not been misspent.

Gary Wills says they're not playing games with any money and can document all the funds were sent to insurance.

"And we have to go through all these channels to try to get our money back or to try get somebody to pay for it?" asks VanNatta. "The state should step in and make 'em do it."

The Nebraska Department of Insurance tells workers it has no jurisdiction.

So we can't get the state to go after them?" says VanNatta. "They can't do anything about it 'cause they're self-funded," says Loncke.

So it's in the hands of federal labor officials who won't comment, and the bankruptcy court. That's where attorney Rich McGowan hopes to help workers get money for their medical bills from the company.

"Biggest obstacle I see in getting something, is whether there are assets we can seize or garnish."

Filing for reorganization, Merit is still on the road and employees past and present are told to keep on trucking, even as more unpaid medical bills get delivered every day.

Merit Transportation has until next May to file a plan for paying its debts and that includes employee medical bills.

The company's bankruptcy attorney tells Six On Your Side that the plan is on a fast track and employee claims should be considered a priority by the court.