Health Insurance Articles
How Pre Existing Conditions Affect Health Insurance Applications
2010-09-02
If you are looking for health insurance but have a pre existing condition, there are five things that can occur. The most negative is a denial of coverage. If your symptoms are minor, you may be able to still get insurance but at a higher rate, or no coverage for that specific condition. There are also a few rules that are going into effect which may help you to get coverage no matter what condition you have. You can apply to an insurance company and they may have a waiting period for the specific illness or condition. This waiting period can be a minimum of six months to a maximum of eighteen months. It all depends on the policy of the insurance provider and the pre existing conditions that you want coverage for.
Similar to a waiting period could also be an exclusion period. They may provide you with coverage for any other health issues that may arise, but will not cover the illness that you had prior to applying for health insurance. This is great in that you will still have some type of coverage in case a medical condition does arise.
Because the probability is great that you will have a reoccurrence of the condition, most companies will require that you pay a much higher premium. They will take the higher payments that you submit to help to defray the cost of the additional expenses you incur. For many people looking for insurance this may be the only option that they can receive for coverage.
Another scenario that the insurance company may provide is a higher out of pocket expense. You may have a larger deductible which will take you longer to meet. These may be written off on your taxes if you meet the 7.5 percent amount of your income.
There are two rules which have been created that help consumers that have pre existing conditions with their health. The first is called HIPAA which is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This has been in existence since 1996. It states that you cannot be discriminated against because of a prior illness or surgery. The second important rule is the New Health Reform. It will become effective September 2010. Any child that has an illness cannot be denied coverage on their parents insurance.
If you have a pre existing condition and need health insurance there are many actions an insurance company can take. They can charge higher payments, exclude coverage for a certain period of time, charge higher out of pocket expenses or have a waiting period.
