Insurance and Pre-existing Conditions

Is there a cure-all in sight, especially for those individuals most afflicted in our country today? When does the health insurance industry plan to stop restricting insurance coverage for those afflicted with a pre-existing condition? This is a rather archaic attitude and it is high time this practice transforms into insurance coverage that is more suitable for the mass public. It seems the individuals that need the health coverage the most are the same individuals who are desperate.

Part of the difficulty is with the undefined term of pre-existing condition, as it is very vague. Until the present time it has been to the discretion of the various New York insurance firms to define as they see fit. The insurance firms have made this decision long before they established the health insurance quotes they recite to a multitude of individuals. Yet, the thousands of medical doctors who care for these patients have a different list which conflicts with the insurance companies. The main reason why defining what a pre-existing condition is so difficult and vague.

Even with these hurdles to overcome there are a few things the self-employed can do to reach the desired goals of full medical coverage.

1.    Talk with your physician to prove one condition is unrelated to another. Copy of your medical records for submission is important.

2.    Research the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) program. Individuals who had insurance before under a group medical care plan and are obtaining a new type of medical insurance are able to have their pre- existing condition covered as long as they meet the criteria.

There is various form of pre-existing conditions in the medical community today. Some of the more common pre-existing conditions that raise the average monthly cost for health insurance today:

1.    Fibromyalgia, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and obesity

2.    Obesity and yes, even pregnancy is a pre-existing condition.

With that said, if you fall into this category, take advantage of HIPAA by switching from one group policy to another group policy. This will keep the individual from having to pay for costly individual health insurance, because of a pre-existing condition or having a difficult time obtaining medical insurance. Many insurance corporations which offer individual insurance require a waiting period of twelve to eighteen months before they will consider paying medical bills related to pre-existing conditions. Unfortunately, the individual will have to do much homework in this area.