How to I get insurance immediatly with a pre-existing condition?

Question

My mother-in-law had a stroke on Saturday and has been in the hospital since then. She was laid off four months ago and did not purchase the cobra. The insurance her and her husband bought had turned out to be a scam and doesn't cover the hospital bill which is now $20,000. She also will require Live In Physical Therapy for the next few weeks which is about $1000 a day. We live in NYC and she does not qualify for medicare/medicaid.

Is there anyway to get her insurance to cover the Physical Therapy (since is might be considered a pre-existing condition) and is there any way to reduce the hospital bills accrued so far?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Yep, with health insurance, you get what you pay for.  They probably bought cheap, online deal, "outsmarting" the agent and the "system".  Well, they're going to be paying for it now.

There is no insurance you can buy, after the stroke, to cover the treatment.  It's too late.  It's not going to cover her PT, as yes, it's now preexisting.  Additionally, now that she's had a stroke, she's going to find it very, very hard for an insurance company to give her ANY health insurance.  Period.  

The time to buy the insurance, is BEFORE something goes wrong.  It's too late, now.  She's going to have to pay for this herself - even if they have to sell the house, and cash in the retirement funds.  

To reduce the hospital bills, she can always ask them to reprice to a cash price, and ask if they have any financial aid.  That's about it.  

She's probably going to be uninsured now, until she's eligible for Medicare.  Unless she or her husband get a job, that offers benefits.

Answer 2

If she just had a stroke last Saturday, there's no way she'll be able to get a private insurance policy.  With all her complications, every company would undoubtedly turn down her application.  She's "uninsurable" right now - unless she becomes eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, or your father-in-law gets a job with benefits.

Your best option would be to negotiate a self-pay discount with the hospital, and work out a payment plan for what's left of her bill after the hospital applies the discount.

Sorry.  Hope she's doing ok now.

Answer 3

It is considered pre-existing and no she won't be able to get any insurance to cover her either now or later.

As far as the hospital bills she has now, her husband will have to call them and negotiate a cash rate or apply for financial assistance-but since you state she does not qualify for medicare/medicaid, she may not qualify for assistance either-but check into it! The same follows for the physical therapy she will need-your father-in-law will need to negotiate a cash rate for it.

If her disability is severe enough, she may qualify for medicare (SSDI). But that is a long process and will not (probably) help with this acute occurance.

The only other solution I can see is if your father-in-law gets a job that offers health insurance (hopefully without a waiting period for pre-existing conditions).

Answer 4

Although it varies by state, her best option is to start the application for public aid which will require her to spend down all her assets before she qualifies.  Your next best option is to take her to a faith-based hospital organization which often has assistance programs in place to help those who have a need much like hers (well, I suppose this would be the best option if you can find such a place)  For example, our facility (we're in another state, sorry) has a financial assistance type program to cover hospitalization and rehab. Patients receive either free of greatly reduced care based on their needs.  

I agree with the other posts that she is most likely uninsurable.