The effects of a cancer diagnosis can linger on for years to come, and can affect far more than just your potential recurrence rate. Obtaining health insurance is never a simple affair, but it can become increasingly more complex if you have a history of a serious illness such as breast cancer, due to the tendency of most insurers to deny coverage for high risk individuals. While there are no guarantees that you can get an individual health care plan, there are some steps you can take to optimize your chances of being covered.
Instructions
1. Contact a local attorney regarding the existence state laws that might be beneficial to your plight. For example, individuals in the state of Florida can benefit from a statutory exclusion stating that individuals cannot be denied coverage based on a prior incident of breast cancer if they have been subsequently cancer-free for a period of at least two years. Your state may have a similar law, so talk to an insurance attorney in your area to find out.
2. Look into enrollment in a state-sponsored high risk pool if you are found to be uninsurable by private companies. According to information from HealthInsurance.org, state sponsored pools for high risk individuals exist in 38 states, and can provide you with coverage despite your medical history for a premium cost that is somewhat higher than that found in the private sector, but it provides a good fallback for individuals who are otherwise unable to secure health care.
3. Act quickly to obtain new insurance if you have recently been dropped from your existing plan. Under the auspices of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), you have a 63 day window to obtain new coverage without having to endure a waiting period for pre-existing conditions.
4. Utilize COBRA to continue your current coverage if you are about to be dropped from an employer-provided insurance plan. COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) is a program that allows individuals to continue with their pre-existing plan for a period of time ranging from 18 to 36 months where their insurance is being terminated due to: loss of employment, reduction in hours, disability, death of the employee-spouse (if you were receiving benefits from being married to an employee of a company), divorce, or legal separation. Speak with a representative from Human Resources at your place of employment or an insurance attorney about the viability of continuing your health care through COBRA.
Tags: health care, high risk, breast cancer, dropped from, high risk individuals, insurance attorney
