Do I Need to Be Concerned About Pre-existing Conditions?

Thoughtful pregnant woman looking out the windowPre-existing conditions are conditions that the patient has already received medical advice or treatment for, prior to enrollment in a new insurance plan.

They used to be extremely problematic for many people, but not anymore. Now you don’t need to be concerned about pre-existing conditions.

Why not?

Under Obamacare, health insurance companies can’t refuse to cover you or charge more just because you have a pre-existing condition.

This is a huge change that took place for plans beginning on or after January 1, 2014. The fear of pre-existing conditions used to prevent people from moving or switching jobs because they didn’t want to lose their existing health plan. No one wanted their rates to skyrocket due to their pre-existing conditions.

There is an exception, however. This rule does not apply to “grandfathered” individual health insurance policy that was bought for you or your family on or before March 23, 2010 that hasn’t been changed in specific ways that reduce benefits or increase costs.

This change was a welcome one to many individuals who were previously unable to get healthcare coverage because of their pre-existing conditions.

If you have questions about your insurance or pre-existing conditions, let us know!

All this month we are answering your questions and we will be answering even more in this month’s webinar on January 27, 2016 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Bring your questions to the webinar or submit them in advance by email or on Facebook or Twitter.

Four Things About ObamaCare That Are Good for Everyone

Obama Care HeadlineMany people disagree about whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — most commonly known as ObamaCare — is good or bad for healthcare patients. However, there are some parts of ObamaCare, which are often forgotten, that help everyone.

What are they? Here are four of the most significant positive changes the Act is responsible for:

  1. Elimination of pre-existing conditions:  Prior to ObamaCare, many people had no insurance coverage for something called “pre-existing conditions.”  For example, if you had cancer or a complication from a surgery and then changed insurance companies, the new insurance company formerly would deny these type of claims saying they were “pre-existing conditions.”  Because of this problem, many employees would not move to take a new job for fear they would not have insurance coverage for the things they needed.  Under ObamaCare, this problem is eliminated.  An insurance company can no longer use this as an excuse for no coverage.
  2. Insurance coverage for your children through age 26:  Another big change is that young adults can now stay on their parent’s insurance until they reach the age of 26.  The child does not to show they are in school nor living with their parents.  Prior to ObamaCare, most insurance plans only allowed the child to have coverage until they reached the age of 18 or were in school.
  3. Elimination of Life-Time limits:  Prior to ObamaCare, insurance companies had a “life-time limit” for each person who had insurance.  If you had cancer or several different health problems, you could easily hit your life time limit and would find yourself with no insurance coverage.  Under ObamaCare, life-time limits have been eliminated.  Now if you have cancer that may reoccur over many years, you don’t have to worry about your cancer AND whether you will lose your insurance also.
  4. Preventive Care is now covered:  Many people are surprised to discover that prior to ObamaCare most preventive medical care was not covered by your insurance.  Historically, insurance covered you when you were sick, not when you were well.  This is silly, as preventative care often prevents you from getting sick. Without coverage, many people would not go for their annual checkups or their yearly mammograms. Now, under ObamaCare, preventative services are covered. Every insurance plan must cover certain basic services so you no longer need to worry about getting a big bill from the doctor.

We can all continue to examine ObamaCare and determine whether it requires significant changes, but we can all agree that certain basic ObamaCare benefits are good for everyone.

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HS-Book_Covers_OCaresmallAre you looking to cut through all the noise and find out what ObamaCare really is, what it does, and, most importantly, what it means to you? MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: ObamaCare” ebook guide leaves the politics behind and gives you a straightforward, timely rundown of the changes the law made and whether or not they impact YOU.

Available for download NOW!