Health Insurance Articles

Evaluating Your Health Insurance Coverage After Being Diagnosed With A Chronic Illness

2010-03-27

Health insurance changes every year. What may cover you one year may not cover you the next. Just having insurance does not necessarily mean that you have the coverage you need. Many people do not plan for illness but when it happens and it becomes a chronic illness, that is where having insurance can get a bit tricky. Not knowing your plan can lead to a financial headache later.

Many people can go for years before they develop symptoms or diseases related to Asthma, Epilepsy or Diabetes. These types of diseases, when diagnosed, are considered chronic conditions and after the diagnosis will forever be considered as pre-existing conditions. While you're health care company may cover the initial onset and care, that health insurance coverage may not be there the following year. It is important that once a chronic illness is discovered, you reassess your health care plan.

Many people believe that once they have insurance, they are covered for as long as they have the policy and that it will cover everything and anything that arises. While some companies do, many do not. Unfortunately, this does not become apparent until after a crisis arises. Evaluating your health insurance is vital not after you get a chronic illness, but it is necessary to ask beforehand. Illnesses, such as Diabetes, can happen to anyone at anytime and asking what your insurance company does with regards to illnesses such as these will help you to decide if this company and policy is right for you. This is especially important if there is a family history of chronic illnesses. While you may not currently have an illness, this does not mean you may not be at risk because of family dynamics. Coverage can become limited without your knowledge and they may put a cap on how much coverage you can receive for that particular illness. They can also substantially raise deductibles without warning, on top of the rates that rise each year.

Health insurance companies can change the limitations and conditions of a policy every year so it is important to check with them each enrollment period to see if your condition is still covered and how much coverage you get. Assuming you are covered at a hundred percent could be disastrous after you are in the hospital and find out that the policy changed without your knowing or understanding. Although there are supposed laws that are to take place in the future, for now, there are no federal laws to protect consumers from companies who wish to drop you if you have a chronic illness. You may be covered initially but dropped the next year with little or no warning.