I believe I may have a serious medical condition. I know I should go to the doctor ASAP but I have a concern about my health insurance. My coverage is ok but not the greatest. I may or may not be changing jobs and the new job has much better insurance. Also, I am currently on my wife's health insurance policy and she may be changing jobs in March. How do I know if my possible medical condition would be covered by any new insurance policy? If it turns out to be serious, I may not be able to afford to pay my medical bills if my new insurance carrier chooses not to cover it. What are my options?
--------------------
(This answer assumes you are a U.S. resident.) There is good news for you: the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will provide you with protection in this situation. There is not enough information to conclusively tell you whether the plan through your or your wife's new insurer will completely extinguish your pre-existing condition exclusionary period, but if you've been covered at least 18 months under a group plan, it definately will. Go here to read more: http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consume… If your or your wife's new plan has a "waiting period," all you have to do is elect COBRA during that period of time. Even if you choose not to elect COBRA, the waiting period cannot be counted as a period of lapse; therefore, it isn't counted against the 63-day period you'll read about in the link above. p.s. -- I have expert knowledge regarding HIPAA provisions and there's alot of misinformation here about this issue. If you have any questions, please send me a message through Yahoo Answers.
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment