Getting health insurance with a pre-existing condition?

Question

I just quit my job and no longer have health insurance. I also have a very mild case of Chrons disease....I take pills daily for it, but other than that I'm in great health. I would like to get on a health insurance plan. What are my options? Do you think I will get turned down because of my Chrons? If I can get on health insurance, what range will I be paying per month for coverage?

Answer 1

Lawfully, he canot refuse you COBRA. That's what it's for so people who cannot otherwise get insurance have the right to continue under COBRA law. Your employer is wrong to tell you that.

Answer 2

I'm guessing that you will at some point return to work with benefits? If so, you probably just want temporary insurance. The policies here are decent and you can take them out for up to a year, while you look for a job. The nice thing is, the majority of the companies that offer temp insurance don't put much emphasis on pre-existing conditions, as they don't see a big risk considering they insure you for a short time.

Answer 3

Most important word of advice... make sure you know & understand every detail as to what is available and what will or will not be covered, etc. You don't want to make the mistake of shelling out $400 or more, even if it's only a few months, and then find out that you aren't able to use it anyhow.

Yes, you should be able to get COBRA, but like so many stated here, it is rather expensive. (Which makes no sense either considering most often people only use COBRA when they have lost their job and are unemployed???) Anyhow, it's one option.

Also, check your local social services office and see if you qualify for a state type assisted program.

Another thing to pay extreme importance to is the fact that regardless of whether it's a mild case of Chrons or a severe case, it still is considered a pre-existing condition. And when you are dealing with an insurance company who's main goal is to pay OUT as little money as possible, they have people specialized in picking apart every single area of your health record to find ways that makes them not responsible for paying a claim on your part for whatever reason. Thus making you solely responsible for payment. In which, now you find out that you have paid every single month to an insurance plan that did you no good what so ever.

There is a company called Ameriplan, they cover all pre-existing conditions. They are actually a discount health care benefits company who, unlike insurance companies, contract with doctors and dentists directly to offer discounted prices for their members! So you can save on each doctors visit throughout the year, as well as have the confidence in that if you were to go to the hospital, as soon as the bill hits $2500, they have an advocate who works directly with the hospital to negotiate your bill and get it as low as possible, typically 50-80% off, and then set you up with a interest free payment plan to pay back the hospital for the remainder.

You can get total health for only $39.95 month. It includes Physician, Dental, Prescription, Vision & Chiropractic services, as well as specialists, Hospital, ancillary services, and more. You can view the plans at this website http://www.mybenefitsplus.com/40398854

Please call me for details because I know you'll have questions.

Hopefully this can help you a bit!

Answer 4

what we had to do when my husband switched jobs was to take advantage of the cobra (it was expensive -  had to put it on a credit card!) -     you are still able to get the cobra because its only been 3 weeks.   I'd check into that.   you definately don't want to lose your health insurance coverage if you have chromes.    because with a pre-existing condition - your next job with health insurance will make you wait - and medicine alone will cost you how much without it ..   so,  check into cobra - and then go to your local insurances and see what they have to say.

what range?      with cobra we had to pay $800 a month (we had to do it for 4 months until insurance kicked in at the new job)  -    it depends upon where you worked - and what they paid for insurance - because with cobra - what you are doing is paying the FULL amount that your last job paid for insurance(without them paying any).

Answer 5

There are several on-line services that can assist you in getting a quote.  Two of the more reliable are :

http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-2952034-1051...

http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-2952034-1...

Because they partner with numerous health insurance providers, you are more likely to get a quote and the best rate through them verses calling around to individual agents.

I hope this helps!

Answer 6

Only employers with 20 or more full time employers are required to offer COBRA coverage.

If your employer has less than 20 full time employees and you want to get your Crohn's disease covered immediately then you will want to purchase a HIPAA guaranteed issue health insurance plan (it will be excluded for coverage under a regular individual health insurance plan).

Here is some more information on pre-existing conditions, COBRA, and HIPAA health insurance:

http://www.healthquote360.com/Health_Ins...

http://www.healthquote360.com/Group_Heal...

http://www.healthquote360.com/Individual...

Answer 7

Adding to what others have said, you can keep COBRA up to 18 months. And contradictory to what others have said Chrons disease will make it almost impossible to get individual coverage. With individual coverage you can be declined based on your medical history. Short term medical insurance may be obtainable but it would not cover anything to do with the Chrons. Your state Blue Cross may have a guaranteed issued health plan but the coverage is limited, the plans are very expensive and pre existing conditions are not usually covered for the first 12 months. You Best bet is to talk to a local insurance broker who offers many different insurance carriers.

Answer 8

visit http://theclickinfo.com/insurance.go

Answer 9

Well, you have a couple options... 1.  You could COBRA your existing policy (i.e. pay out of pocket until you get a new insurance policy) but you can only do it for a certain amount of time.  2.  You could go to your local department of social services and see about health insurance plans (medicaid, managed medicaid or family health plus). 3.  You could search on the web local insurance plans and see what their rates are.  The pre-existing condition shouldn't be a problem as long as there is not an insurance gap longer than 60 days. The insurance prices will vary significantly depending on which route you take.

In New York (Albany area) the prices are around

$250-400/month for single coverage.

Answer 10

You can't get coverage.  NO ONE will insure anyone on a private policy, with a diagnosis of Crohns.  

MAYBE your state high risk health pool - if your state has one.  And if they do, the premiums could range from $400 to $1500 a month, or even more.   I'd pick up a job ASAP, even if you're flipping burgers, for the benefits.

Answer 11

It's not usually that you get turned down completely, but that they will not cover anything related to the Crohn's for the first 12 to 18 months of coverage, depending on the company, they all have their own pre-existing clause.

It would have been best to continue your coverage through the employer you just left under the COBRA law until you found another job, unless you mean you are not going back to work anytime soon. You might still be able to do this if you only quit recently, there is a certain time frame you must do it in, check with the benefits dept. at the company.  

Prices for policies vary SO much, I can't really offer any help there. I have seen, through lots of internet research, prices from $120.00 to $400.00 plus (per month), it all depends on exactly what you are looking for in coverage.