Getting Health Insurance After Being Disabled at Work

1) Keep all follow up doctor appointments regarding the medical condition. This will be necessary for medical documentation that will be required proof to get and to keep insurance.

2) Contact a human resource representative at work to assist with work related information and paperwork. They will probably begin by talking about worker compensation laws if the disability is work related. Or they may discuss the companies short and long term disability policies if it is not work related. Some companies either do not offer short or long term benefits or if they do the benefits usually have a maximum dollar limit.

3) Contact the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs for further details on qualifying and applying for these benefits by visiting their website (http://www.ssa.gov/disability/). There are two programs they offer depending on the situation. The first program is Disability Insurance Benefits, which requires a work history and having paid into the social security system for a certain time. The second program is called Supplemental Security, it doesn't require a past work history, but is based on a lower economic status. Both programs require a considerable amount of time and detail to qualify for so it would be wise to begin the process soon after the diagnosis if either of these situations may apply.

4) See whether the HIPPA or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act would work for this situation at the Department of Labor website (http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/portability.htm). This was an act put into effect in 1996 which provides some protection for people in group health plans. It may help some who have preexisting conditions and have exhausted all the COBRA benefits.

5) Contact a lawyer that specializes in getting disability benefits. Getting health insurance and keeping it after being disabled will require legal assistance.

6) Apply for Medicaid at the local state agency. This program does have income limits, but also uses medical bills, housing and energy costs as part of the calculations.

Remember:
Do research on credible websites before talking to too many people. This will help in asking the right questions so the process will move along as smoothly as is possible.

Prepare for doctor appointments by writing down what needs to be covered so that nothing gets forgotten during the visit.

Detailed notes with names, dates and everything discussed is a must and may be necessary for legal purposes later.

Contacting a lawyer specializing in disabilities is wise. No one else that is contacted will share the same end goals of making sure health insurance is available for managing the disability.

Make sure to follow through on everything. If something gets missed, it may mean the difference between qualifying or not.