Health Insurance Issue: If You're Happy And You're Healthy, Clap Your Hands
When it comes to health insurance, many people do not concern themselves about the medical underwriting requirements, precisely because they are healthy and it is a lot easier for them to get medical health insurance.
However, there are also millions of people who are denied of health insurance because or a pre-exiting medical condition, such as heart disease, heart attack, diabetes, cancer, stroke, liver disease, AIDS, pregnancy, depression and kidney disease.
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), health insurance carriers may or may not provide health insurance to clients with pre-existing conditions. HIPAA defines pre-existing conditions as a physical or mental condition for which medical advice diagnosis care or treatment was recommended or received within six months period ending on the enrollment date.
When read clearly, it can be deduced that the same law also provides protection on the health insurance issue of individuals with pre-existing medical conditions.
Thus, one can still avail of a health coverage without any medical questions, no height or weight requirements and any other limitations, as anyone who applies is accepted.
Furthermore, under the same federal law, those who work for an employer who provides health insurance to its employees with a pre-existing condition cannot be refused anymore. If the employer offers it and you are full-time and otherwise qualify for it, they must let you enroll in the plan regardless of your health.
This right to health insurance is available not only to new hires, but also to persons who had originally declined the insurance and later changed their mind, although there may be some temporary limitations on coverage for these "late enrollees."
A primary advantage of this scheme is that the employer pays most or all of the costs of the health insurance, and many employers offer a choice of plans so each employee can choose the plan that best fits his/her needs.
Moreover, you have the right to keep either that insurance or a private plan of similar quality, even if your employment is terminated. That means that once you acquire health insurance through an employer, you will be able to maintain some form of health insurance regardless of any change in your employment status.
Meanwhile, when considering availing of a health insurance, check what your options are in order to maximize your membership coverage. There are different kinds of insurances that you can choose from if you have a pre-existing condition.
One type of insurance plans is what is commonly known as a “limited benefit” or “indemnity” plan. These plans have specific benefit levels for office visits, testing, hospital admission and surgery. Some of the higher end plans of this genre offer a considerable amount of benefit each year.
Another plan is what is referred to as a mini-medical plan. This plan has actual co-pays for office visits, generic and brand-name prescriptions as well as coverage for testing, out-patient surgery, hospitalization and more. In appearances and use, it is very much like a major medical plan, but, there are still annual limits.
Finally, there is the full major medical health insurance plan, which is a true guaranteed issue major medical insurance that is very hard to come by. This is a full health insurance issue plan with multi-million dollar coverage and can be very helpful for those, who are terminally ill and will have to undergo a lot of treatments for a long time.
With all the plans available, it is always good to know which one you can afford and the ones that you can get the most benefit from.