Getting a Health Policy When You’re Already Sick

In the article, Insurance executives held out hope to the afflicted late last month by announcing their willingness to end a notorious industry practice: charging higher premiums to people with health problems or denying them coverage altogether. So for now, consumers with pre-existing medical conditions must continue the struggle to obtain and keep medical coverage. “Under the current system, the people who need insurance most can’t afford or can’t get coverage.”
You should try to keep employer’s coverage. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as Hipaa, employers cannot exclude you from a health plan because of a pre-existing condition. The same rule applies to spouses and children if the employer offers family coverage. In that case, employers can exclude coverage of your health problem for up to 18 months, but then must give you full coverage.
To find out what’s available where you live, check with your state’s insurance department. Cost is a big problem with all of these last-gasp policies, said Sandy Praeger, the insurance commissioner for Kansas and chairwoman of the national association’s health insurance committee. If you do find yourself turned down by an insurer for a pre-existing condition, you can appeal that decision.
If you seek treatment for a health problem under an individual insurance plan, the insurer may look into your medical history for proof that you had the problem before applying for coverage, said Kevin Flynn, president of HealthCare Advocates. That, the insurance company said, was proof of a prior condition. As a person who has had diabeties thirty years it has been a constant strugle and worry that i could loose my health coverage. I can't really understand why the people who need it the most have such a hard time keeping it.