Health Insurance Exclusion Rider Information

Health insurance companies commonly use exclusion riders to exclude or limit coverage for a specific condition. An exclusion rider is also referred to as an impairment rider. It is a separate document attached to the policy.

Denial of Coverage

Insurance companies can charge high premiums or even deny health insurance coverage for people who are considered too much of a risk due to a preexisting medical condition. An exclusion or impairment rider can make health insurance attainable and affordable. Lower premiums can be charged due to the exclusion of coverage for a specific illness or injury.

Claims

Health insurance companies will not pay any claims for treatment associated with the medical condition specified in the impairment rider.

Length of Exclusion

An impairment rider can exclude coverage for a medical condition for the entire time the person is insured or for a certain number of months or years depending on the stipulations in the rider.

Family Insurance Coverage

Impairment riders apply only to the person with the impairment. If the rider is written for an individual included in a family health insurance policy, coverage for the other members of the family is unaffected.

Preexisting Condition Designation

Health insurance policies commonly have a waiting period for preexisting conditions. The impairment rider supersedes the preexisting condition designation for the medical condition it is written on.

References

• Impairment Rider
• Exclusions and Limitations