Quote:
Originally Posted by Brujah
What are some options for the self-employed who have been turned down for insurance? Some for a pre-existing condition, some for a recent doctor visit or having taken a specific prescription medicine in the past few years. People who can afford to pay and would like to have insurance, but are being turned down.
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I'll answer this the best I can now and consult with my colleague tomorrow to make sure I gave you the best answers.
Pre-existing conditions are conditions for which the insured has received diagnosis, advice, care, or treatment during the last 6 - 12 months prior to the application. Time periods vary from state to state and may vary with the type of policy. In individual health insurance policies, these conditions may be excluded or covered after a probationary period.
From my understanding you could do the following:
1. Apply to other companies (if you have only applied to one) to see if the other companies will accept/reject you.
2. Accept coverage with the pre-existing condition as an exclusion.
3. Wait the adequate amount of time from the date of that doctor's visit or when you stopped taking those prescription pills (if it was temporary). Then reapply without having to disclose that information depending upon the time frame set by the state you live in and the type of policy/company you are applying for.
If you were still turned down and couldn't get insurance, then your state should offer health insurance for high risk individuals. In Louisiana we have the Louisiana Health Insurance Association. I found this link (not my site) explaining how this works, for my state at least.
http://www.lahealthplan.org/pool_info.html
I haven't dealt with situations like this personally and I am only sharing with you information I learned from the classes I took. I will double check this tomorrow to find out if there is anything else I am missing that might be more helpful.