Individual or student health insurance with pre-existing condition?

[dancesis]

Hi everyone,

Do you have any advice on where I can find insurance for my husband? He is 23 and has APS (antiphospholipid antibody syndrome). His condition has been successfully managed with an inexpensive pill a day (generic warfarin) and a monthly blood test. He will be on this plan indefinitely according to his doctor. Oh, and he also has asthma – I know some plans ask about this.

He has COBRA coverage, but it runs over $400.00 a month (and will eventually expire). We are having difficulty finding insurance because of the pre-existing condition. He is a full time student, but the school does not offer adequate coverage ($15,000 maximum policy). I do not have access to group health insurance through my work to cover him. I have been trying to find a company to work for that offers benefits, but so far no luck being hired. We live in Iowa.

We are willing to go with a higher deductible plan and pay for the prescriptions and monthly tests out of pocket, but we do want catastrophic coverage just in case. Any advice? I have read these forums for awhile and it seems like a great place to get advice.

Thank you!

 

[J.R.]

Hi everyone,

Do you have any advice on where I can find insurance for my husband? He is 23 and has APS (antiphospholipid antibody syndrome). His condition has been successfully managed with an inexpensive pill a day (generic warfarin) and a monthly blood test. He will be on this plan indefinitely according to his doctor. Oh, and he also has asthma – I know some plans ask about this.

He has COBRA coverage, but it runs over $400.00 a month (and will eventually expire). We are having difficulty finding insurance because of the pre-existing condition. He is a full time student, but the school does not offer adequate coverage ($15,000 maximum policy). I do not have access to group health insurance through my work to cover him. I have been trying to find a company to work for that offers benefits, but so far no luck being hired. We live in Iowa.

We are willing to go with a higher deductible plan and pay for the prescriptions and monthly tests out of pocket, but we do want catastrophic coverage just in case. Any advice? I have read these forums for awhile and it seems like a great place to get advice.

Thank you!

When does his COBRA expire?
When will he graduate?
Do you have an individual or group policy?
Have you worked with a local agent or are you calling all the companies yourself?

 

[dancesis]

Hi,

Thank you for your response!

My husband has COBRA coverage through my former employer (group) through next year – so we do have some time before it expires. I have an individual plan. I just like to be prepared and don’t want it to creep up on us – plus the cost is pretty expensive on a student’s budget.

He will graduate in 2010. I have been trying to locate plans mainly online, but we are going to see an agent on Friday. I just wanted to get as much information as I could because APS is a sort of rare condition.

 

[STIBROKER]

what state are you in....

 

[BKrocko]

I do not know about Iowa but in CO, anybody who is on Warfarin (generic Coumadin) is an automatic decline by every carrier. We have a state run program = Cover Colorado for people who cannot get individual coverage.

When I searched Google, I came up with something that may help you =

Buying Individual Policies in Iowa

As a general rule, insurers in Iowa are allowed to reject your application for coverage based on your health status. However, you may qualify for coverage as a "HIPAA-eligible" individual if you:

• had at least 18 months of continuous creditable coverage, the last day of which was under a group plan AND
• you have exhausted all COBRA continuation coverage which was available to you.

People who are HIPAA-eligible are guaranteed the right to buy insurance through the Iowa Comprehensive Health Association (described below). If you are not sure whether you are a HIPAA-eligible individual, your insurance agent or the Insurance Division can help you find out.
Iowa Comprehensive Health Association (HIP-Iowa)
HIP-Iowa offers coverage to individuals who are unable to purchase an individual health insurance policy because they have pre-existing health conditions. It also covers "HIPAA-eligible" individuals as described above. The HIP-Iowa website details the eligibility requirements for their program here.
You can also learn more about HIP-Iowa’s benefits and premium rates by visiting their site or contacting them at the phone number listed below.

Iowa Comprehensive Health Association (HIP-Iowa)
Phone: 1.877.793.6880
http://www.hipiowa.com/

I do not do business in Iowa but I hope this helps. You may also want to contact a local broker/agent who knows the ropes around there. DO NOT just buy some limited coverage snake oil plan - If you have been reading this board, you know what I'm talking about. Best of luck to you.
​

 

[J.R.]

Hi,

Thank you for your response!

My husband has COBRA coverage through my former employer (group) through next year – so we do have some time before it expires. I have an individual plan. I just like to be prepared and don’t want it to creep up on us – plus the cost is pretty expensive on a student’s budget.

He will graduate in 2010. I have been trying to locate plans mainly online, but we are going to see an agent on Friday. I just wanted to get as much information as I could because APS is a sort of rare condition.

An agent should be able to conduct a full needs analysis to determine what your options are at this point. I do not work the Iowa market, although a local agent should be able to know the market inside and out and point you in the right direction. Find out what he or she says is possible in the individual market. As a back-up, look into state coverage

http://www.hipiowa.com/

 

[dancesis]

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate the links, BKrocko and salpro22.

Thanks again!

 

[J.R.]

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate the links, BKrocko and salpro22.

Thanks again!

You're welcome, let us know how it works out.

-J.R.

 

[TXINSURANCE]

This person should keep their COBRA and then go group (if available) or state program when COBRA runs out. I know $400/mo is not ideal but this person has a significant condition and $400 is not that bad all things considered.

You can deliver pizzas at night while going to school and make $400/mo... and how do I know this? :-)

 

[vino]

Hai,

I am Vino. I am Newbie to here.

I have 1 doubt.

What is in real world more common, what kind of expectation is reasonable as for renewability/guaranted rate in individual health coverage?

Please clear my doubt.

Advance Thanks.