About Health Insurance With Pre-Existing Conditions

If you have a pre-existing condition, a disease or illness you had prior to getting your current health insurance, you may be concerned about getting all of your medical bills paid--and rightfully so. Health insurance companies have specific rules in place when it comes to pre-existing conditions. They normally do one of three things: deny, postpone, or modify coverage. The way you find out which of these applies to you is by either asking a company representative or reading your health plan. Both ways should give you details on what will or won't be paid. This information will allow you to make plans on how to pay for medical treatment with regard to your pre-existing condition.

Types

Many health insurance companies deny pre-existing conditions. They don't want to take on the cost or risk of covering an illness or disease a person had prior to getting insurance with them. As a result, it leaves a gap in health coverage. Therefore, depending on what you are suffering from, it can create a medical or financial crisis. Therefore, you must look into other ways to cover your bill or even purchasing a secondary health insurance.

Types

Another way health insurance companies deal with pre-existing conditions is to postpone coverage. The waiting period is normally 6 to 9 months. After this time has passed, benefits kick in. However, before you get too excited, know that the coverage still may be restricted. If the health coverage has exclusions or limitations on pay for specific illnesses such as cancer, you still may have limited pay or no pay for doctor bills. So you still have to read the fine print and find out exactly what is covered.

Types

The last way health insurance companies treat people with pre-existing conditions is to modify the coverage. They do it by limiting what will or won't be paid for. So, for example, if you have arthritis in your right hand prior to getting the insurer's coverage, it might elect to pay for your medication but not for the physical therapy. It's up to you to find this out before you seek medical treatment.

Prevention/Solution

Thankfully, there are health solutions for people dealing with pre-existing conditions. A person can open a health spending account or health reimbursement account with his bank. These kinds of accounts allow people to set aside money through their bank to pay for non-covered or partially covered medical bills. Then, as the treatment is sought, claims are offset with the excess money in them. It's the main way for a person with pre-existing conditions to make sure he has coverage on them.

Considerations

As you can see, there is a lot to consider in terms of health coverage if you have a pre-existing condition. Most important, you must search for the right plan prior to making a change in your health coverage. Get the details upfront and then consider all of the different paths you can take toward giving yourself complete health coverage for all of the illnesses or conditions you have.

Resources

• How Pre-existing Conditions Work

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