Battling Healthcare Options with a Preexisting Condition

Healthcare is important to all of us. Whether we are often sick or just periodically come down with a cold we all see a doctor at least once in our life. Some of us are lucky to have jobs that offer benefits including health, dental, and vision insurance. If you are offered health insurance at work you probably will not have any problems regarding preexisting conditions; however there are certain conditions that will apply, but I will have more on that later. Health insurance companies do not want to cover a patient with a preexisting condition. Companies that will cover a preexisting condition tend to charge exorbitant monthly fees. Are there ways around this problem? I hope that you will find some help in the tips I am providing below in getting the healthcare coverage you need not only in a physician's office, but also from health insurance companies.

If you have not been treated yet for a preexisting condition you may be able to find health insurance. While you may know that you have a problem if you have not been treated or diagnosed officially in the last six months for that particular condition health insurance companies cannot call it a preexisting condition. In other words if the condition is caught and you immediately apply for health insurance you will most likely be accepted for a decent rate.

If your job offers you health insurance and you have had continual coverage for a preexisting condition chances are your will be covered under work for that condition. When you lapse in insurance for more than ninety days most insurance companies will ask that you wait six months to a year before they will cover your preexisting condition.

When you are a work at home individual or you work for a company that does not offer you health insurance you will have problems finding an insurance company that will cover any preexisting condition. This means if you wish to change insurance companies you may not have that option. Chances are everything, but the preexisting condition will be covered.

If you had a job with insurance and you either quit or lost the job you will have difficulty finding insurance coverage for that preexisting condition. Cobra is an option, however it is often more expensive to have cobra coverage than to pay the bill out right. An example I have found my friend in recently is as follows.

My friend lost her job and though I cannot go into specifics of why this means she also lost her health insurance. She was ten weeks pregnant when she lost her job. Under most health insurance company policies pregnancy is a preexisting condition. This means the health insurance companies will cover her and the baby once the baby is born, but not during the gestation period. This means none of her delivery costs or doctor's visits will be covered. In the state of Colorado where she lives there is an option of covercolorado,com. This option offers coverage for any preexisting condition; however it is not affordable. In fact when she and her husband tallied the amount of coverage verses the cost of doctor's appointments and delivery costs, they found the insurance to cost more. So what can she do? Her only option has thus far been Medicare. Medicare also has requirements. As long as she is not working, and as long as they fit the income requirements she will be covered for the pregnancy. The trouble is they can't pay the bills without her working. So there again she is hoping with a job to help pay the bills or food stamps that they will be able to have insurance.

The best option for this friend is to find a position that will hire her, now that she is five months along and that their health insurance coverage will not exclude her from coverage despite it being more than ninety days. Her other option of course is to pay out of pocket for expenses if Medicare declines insurance coverage.

Health insurance is a difficult battle in the United States, and while there has been many motions to reform healthcare practices we have yet to see an improvement. For those who find themselves in the situation where a preexisting condition limits health insurance coverage you will find there are a few options. You can pay more to get coverage if it is cost effective for you. You can pay out of pocket for just the preexisting condition. You can pay out of pocket for all medical needs. You can hope to find a job position with health benefits. Lastly you can continue in an exhaustive search until you find that one in a million company that will offer decent rates for preexisting condition coverage. Your state may offer something along the lines of covercolorado.com where you will find the insurance premiums to be affordable. The only way to know is for you to explore your options.

My last piece of advice for someone who has a preexisting condition that is covered under a personal policy is to never allow that policy to expire. I found myself in a situation where I had insurance through work, but when I moved to a different state and a different job I was no longer able to get health insurance coverage unless I worked for a company with a health insurance plan. I have also found that when you have coverage in one state once the policy is up that same provider may not offer coverage in a different state. My original policy was set up in Washington so when I moved to Colorado they would not cover me for the preexisting condition.

The best advice I can offer you for health insurance regarding preexisting conditions is to have continual coverage no matter what happens. I hope some of this advice will help those facing similar situations so that they will not give up hope.