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How
To Get Health Insurance If You
Think Or Know You Are
“Uninsurable”
If you
have been told that you do not qualify for health insurance
due to pre-existing health problems, do not think
that means you can’t get any health insurance.
If you carry no health insurance at all, you risk paying
higher prices for your medical care, not getting the quality
of care that you need, and losing everything you’ve
got in order to pay medical bills. There are several
options you may have that are a better decision than going
without any health insurance at all.
- Cover
the conditions and family members that you can cover.
As crazy as it sounds, people will sometimes tell us that
if an insurance company won’t cover one member of
the family, then the whole family will just go without
coverage. Or they won’t accept a policy unless
it will cover their pre-existing gastritis, and after
all that’s the only thing they ever go to the doctor
for. Don’t be foolish. Get the coverage
now for the things that you can cover, before something
happens and you can’t get that person or condition
covered either.
- See
if you can qualify for group coverage from an employer
or your spouse’s employer. While individual
plans consider the applicant’s health before accepting
them, group plans are “guaranteed issue”.
So if you have a job with a company that offers group
coverage, that will be your best option. You may
also be added to your spouse’s group plan, though
the cost could be anywhere from zero to quite a bit, depending
on how the company offering the coverage structures the
plan.
- Set
up your own group plan. In most states, group
coverage starts with two employees. If you own your
own business, this could be you and your spouse as long
as both of you are legitimate employees of your business.
There is also “group-of-one” coverage available
to self-employed individuals in many states. Typically,
to qualify for group of one coverage you must be profitably
self-employed for at least one year, and you may only
enroll during an open enrollment period when your COBRA
plan ends, or within 30 days of your birthday. HSA
for America
does not currently offer group coverage.
- Sign
up for your state’s state-guaranteed subsidized insurance.
This is a state-sponsored high-risk pool offering coverage
to people who can’t get coverage in the private market.
These plans are much more expensive than private coverage
for healthy individuals, but can be a bargain for those
with serious health problems. They are available
only to citizens of the state who have been denied coverage
because of a medical condition, and have lived in the
state at least six months. Check online, or call
your state’s Insurance Commissioner office for more
information.
The following state high-risk pool plans have an HSA option*:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- South
Dakota
- Wyoming
*
Since the legislation and state environment can change
quickly, the information included here is subject
to change.
- Apply
for a limited benefit plan. The best plan we’ve
found for people with difficult-to-insure pre-existing
health conditions is called the Value
Plan, offered by American General. Rates
are very reasonable, ranging from $25 to $100 per month
for a 49 year-old. Though this plan will not cover
everyone, it only has 3 health questions and most people
can obtain coverage through them. Unfortunately,
it will NOT cover anyone that has in past 24 months
had chest pains, disease or disorder of the heart, liver,
kidneys, or lungs, uncontrolled high blood pressure, albumin
or sugar in urine, uncontrolled diabetes, cancer, tumors,
or ulcers.
It
is important to understand that this plan is very limited
in what it will pay, and will fall short if you have
a large medical bill. However, having this plan
can buffer your exposure quite a bit compared to carrying
no coverage at all. It will cover up to $1,000
per day for hospitalization, and $4,000 per day for
intensive care. Surgical benefits go up to $20,000.
See our Value Plan
page for rates, coverage information, and an application.
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