Did You Get Turned Down For Medical Insurance?

Can You Get Declined For Health Insurance?

Private medical insurance companies are still allowed to "cherry pick" adult applicants. This means that they can decline to cover certain people with prior health issues. They may decline applicants because they believe they are very risky to cover. In addition, insurers can accept the application, but exclude certain treatments. For people with some health issues, these exclusions may be as bad as getting declined.

Who Gets Declined For Health Insurance?

Some people who get declined seem perfectly health, but have had a prior health history that troubles the insurer's underwriting department. Others are dealing with health issues currently, but seem to have them under control right now. A few people may be a little underweight or overweight, but are otherwise perfectly healthy! Of course, people who are dealing with a serious, current illness are not likely to get accepted either.

If you have recovered from your past health problem, or if you keep a current health problem under control, this may seem pretty unfair. I sympathize with this feeling, but right now, insurers are fully within their rights to decline applications with health answers that fall outside of their underwriting guidelines. Private insurers would go broke if they agreed to cover people after they were already sick.

That is one reason that the companies wanted to mandate coverage if they had to take people with pre-existing health conditions. They needed to cover everybody in order to spread the risk of people who were already ill. They have to make general underwriting guidelines. They may, or they may not, make exceptions for people with certain circumstances that make them less risky to cover. In a few years, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act may reduce this problem and, of course, make this article out of date!

Today, many people still have to deal with medical insurance policy declines. I understand how frustrating it is to shop for health insurance, fill out an application, wait for a policy, and then get a decline notice in the mail. You should take some comfort in the fact that you can still take additional steps to get covered. It is very important to find good coverage so you can be certain you have access to proper medical care!

What Can You Do After You Get A Decline Notice?

You should know that each US state has a pre-existing condition health insurance plan. There is also a new national plan. You should just search for the plan in your own state. You can simply look for your state's high risk health plan on the Internet. The official site should have all of the information that you will need to apply.

These high risk health plans vary from place to place so it is impossible to outline the coverage and benefits here. Not everybody qualifies for these plans. In addition, there will be a charge for this coverage. In some cases, the premiums may be pretty steep.

If you cannot afford the premiums, you may want to research some other public medical options like Medicaid, county hospital systems, or private foundations and charities.

It is not always easy to find the right coverage after you get declined for coverage. However, you should pursue the available options as quickly as possible so you can be sure of good access to proper medical treatment.


Article Source: Marilyn Katz