People with pre-existing medical conditions are often worried that they might be denied or excluded from health coverage, and with good reason.
Many health insurance companies refuse to cover people with conditions such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Some relatively minor conditions, such as hay fever or injury, may also cause people to be excluded from health coverage.
While there will be many changes in the next few years, it is important to know how having a medical condition will affect your health insurance today.
The most serious possibility is that an insurance company will deny you outright.
Just as likely is the possibility that you will be accepted but will have to wait through a pre-existing medical conditions exclusion period.
This means that during the first six to eighteen months of coverage, you will have to pay premiums but will not be covered for any treatment pertaining to your condition.
Plans provided by your employer cannot exclude you for more than twelve months, however.
Starting in September of 2010, however, children (defined as anyone under the age of 19), cannot be denied coverage or excluded from treatments.
There are ways to get around the current problems you may face if you are one of those who have pre-existing medical conditions.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects your coverage when you buy, change, or renew health insurance.
While its provisions against discrimination and inclusion are not comprehensive, it also lets you take advantage of creditable coverage.
In fact, the creditable coverage portion of HIPAA may be the most relevant to you.
It states that if you have coverage before enrolling in a new health plan, without a break of more than 63 days, you will not be subject to an exclusion period.
So, for example, if you were covered under your employer's health plan for a year and then switched to private insurance right away, you would be completely covered.
Fortunately, people with pre-existing medical conditions will not have to put up with the current situation for much longer.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which was signed in March 2010 promises to drastically change the way insurance companies operate.
It eliminates pre-existing condition requirements and prevents both adults and children from denial of coverage based on existing conditions.
The act will cover children starting in September, 2010, and will extend to adults in 2014.
If you are currently dealing with insurance companies who refuse coverage, take heart and do not give up.
Many health insurance companies refuse to cover people with conditions such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Some relatively minor conditions, such as hay fever or injury, may also cause people to be excluded from health coverage.
While there will be many changes in the next few years, it is important to know how having a medical condition will affect your health insurance today.
The most serious possibility is that an insurance company will deny you outright.
Just as likely is the possibility that you will be accepted but will have to wait through a pre-existing medical conditions exclusion period.
This means that during the first six to eighteen months of coverage, you will have to pay premiums but will not be covered for any treatment pertaining to your condition.
Plans provided by your employer cannot exclude you for more than twelve months, however.
Starting in September of 2010, however, children (defined as anyone under the age of 19), cannot be denied coverage or excluded from treatments.
There are ways to get around the current problems you may face if you are one of those who have pre-existing medical conditions.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects your coverage when you buy, change, or renew health insurance.
While its provisions against discrimination and inclusion are not comprehensive, it also lets you take advantage of creditable coverage.
In fact, the creditable coverage portion of HIPAA may be the most relevant to you.
It states that if you have coverage before enrolling in a new health plan, without a break of more than 63 days, you will not be subject to an exclusion period.
So, for example, if you were covered under your employer's health plan for a year and then switched to private insurance right away, you would be completely covered.
Fortunately, people with pre-existing medical conditions will not have to put up with the current situation for much longer.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which was signed in March 2010 promises to drastically change the way insurance companies operate.
It eliminates pre-existing condition requirements and prevents both adults and children from denial of coverage based on existing conditions.
The act will cover children starting in September, 2010, and will extend to adults in 2014.
If you are currently dealing with insurance companies who refuse coverage, take heart and do not give up.
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