Health Insurance and Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

When you haven't had health insurance before or there is a lapse in coverage from one policy to another certain issues come up. If you have any medical concerns that you have been seen for in the past, the new policy may not be willing to cover it. Known as pre-existing medical concerns, this can become a huge problem for you as far as getting claims paid for.

For example if you are pregnant and have been seen for it under one health insurance policy then the new one may not cover it. That means the rest of your prenatal care appointments and even the delivery would be out of your own pocket. This is a concern that doesn't sit well with many people.

In the past that was a concern when a person was switching from one job to another. Since they couldn't qualify for health insurance benefits for approximately 90 days there was a lapse in coverage. Even if they did get the coverage right away there was a concern about pre-existing conditions. There are laws that do protect against this today though so you can change jobs without it being such a concern. You can also opt to pay for your previous health insurance while you wait for the new policy to kick in.

There are certain medical concerns where a person does need continuous coverage. They include heart disease and diabetes. There are guaranteed health insurance policies out there that guarantee they will honor such pre-existing conditions. Generally though they have a waiting period that could be up to 12 full months. That means for that span of time with your health insurance coverage they won't pay any claims relating to those particular conditions.

You will also find that health insurance policies accepting individuals with pre-existing conditions are going to come with a higher premium. That is because it is very likely the insurance company will need to pay out money for certain medical needs of such individuals. While it does seem unfair, the only other option is to not have any health insurance coverage at all.

If you have any type of pre-existing conditions you need to be upfront about them. If the insurance company uncovers them later on you can be denied all coverage, you may owe them plenty of money for claims and for higher premiums. They can also pursue fraud charges on you as well which can result in legal troubles for you.

Make sure you understand all of the details of how any pre-existing condition will be handled before you commit to a given health insurance policy. This is a common error that people make and it can be very costly to resolve. You do need health insurance coverage so continue looking around until you find what you can afford and what will reasonably cover your pre-existing health concerns.

William Tuning is the President and principal agent of Preferred Insurance Solutions. His goal for the agency and the Site is to provide the most cost effective health insurance for residents of Colorado, Texas and Arizona. Purchasing health insurance can be simple and inexpensive. Visit his EZ Medical Plans Web Site and get a free instant online health insurance quote.