Guest guest Posted January 3, 1996 Report Share Posted January 3, 1996 KC, I think that you are right. We just ammended our insurance coverage at work, and discussed this with our agent. If I remember correctly, he told us that we could switch insurance companies, and they cannot deny us coverage due to pre-existing conditions (my partner also has some medical problems.) He did tell me however, that they can charge the maximum rate allowed to cover you. So, it sounded like you have to be able to get coverage, but they have you by the " you know whats " as far as what you have to pay for it. M. Knommoc38@... wrote: > > Didn't they pass a law saying that people cannot be denied insurance/treatment > based on pre-existing conditions? I thought it was made so that people with > problems can go on to another job and be totally covered. I know enforcing > the law is probably a lot different than making it > > KC > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 1999 Report Share Posted January 14, 1999 At 11:07 PM -0500 1/14/99, MARK73594@... wrote: > Has anyone had problems getting medical insurance once they were diagnosed >with Chiari. > Hi Mark, I know that if you do get medical ins. they will not cover any of your chiari related illnesses. That is what is known as a Pre-existing condition. You can get the ins I am pretty sure of that........but anything they can say is caused by the chiari they will battle you for payment, no doubt! Judy Marie > > > Mark > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 1999 Report Share Posted January 15, 1999 wrote: Original Article: /list/chiari/?start=10587 > Has anyone had problems getting medical insurance once they were diagnosed > with Chiari. > > > > Mark > We already had insurance when my husband was diagnosed and it has been wonderful!! $40,000 worth of medical bills, and our out-of-pocket has been $400. *SMILE* My question to others is: What happens when you reach the " life time limit " on your insurance? Where do you go from there? Wendi--New Mexico ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 1999 Report Share Posted January 15, 1999 Hi guys, I thought I would address a "pre-existing condition" when insurance in involved. Before I was disabled by this condition, I worked for a big insurance company and did pre-existing investigations my self. Most insurance policy's do have this clause. Most also go by these rules. If you have a preexisting condition you must go 90 days treatment free. This also means medication as well. If you can go 30 or 90 days (depending on there clause) they will start to pay for this condition. If you can't, then you have to be insured for a whole year before they start to pay any medical claims on this condition! Hope this helps some! Hugs Robin Judy Marie wrote: At 11:07 PM -0500 1/14/99, MARK73594@... wrote: > Has anyone had problems getting medical insurance once they were diagnosed >with Chiari. > Hi Mark, I know that if you do get medical ins. they will not cover any of your chiari related illnesses. That is what is known as a Pre-existing condition. You can get the ins I am pretty sure of that........but anything they can say is caused by the chiari they will battle you for payment, no doubt! Judy Marie > > > Mark > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 1999 Report Share Posted January 15, 1999 In a message dated 1/15/1999 10:11:46 PM Mountain Standard Time, Knommoc38@... writes: << Didn't they pass a law saying that people cannot be denied insurance/treatment based on preexisting conditions? >> They did -- BUT that is IF you have already been covered by insurance for a specified amount of time -- and if you let your insurance lapse for something like 60 days, then you start from square one and they CAN use the " preexisting " clause. It's not perfect, but it's a step in the right direction. When I stopped working to take care of Nina, I had to switch from my insurance to my hubby's & they could not do the preexisting thing on my asthma -- AND because Nina was born with the problems she has, there was no " preexisting " cuz SHE didn't " exist " (LOL) before the problems! TTYL Kris Nina's mom ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 1999 Report Share Posted January 15, 1999 This is a good point , however from what I have read, Chiari can also be acquired from a very bad head trauma..... hugs Robin DSSpanos@... wrote: I think that we have discussed this issue before. I was wondering if ACM might not be considered a pre-existing condition under some insurance contracts because it is a congenital condition. I know that my insurance does not have any waiting period for congenital conditions. Might be worth a look to see if ACM is covered that way. It could sure make it easier than waiting a year for coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 16, 1999 Report Share Posted January 16, 1999 Hi All, Just wanted to share what we have gone thru with insurance in the last several months. First let me say that when my husband went to add me to his insurance at work, I did not have insurance and had not for a long time, anyway, because of the new pre-existing law they could not deny me coverage but could defer my coverage for 18 months. The new lae did not hepl me there. Instead of having insur. to cover everything execpt the chiari for a year I had no insur. for 18 mo. I had to buy a one year policy and pay the whole year in advance. I had an MRI in Aug. Had an appointment with the neurosurgen in which he tells me that I have basilar invagination on the same day that my husband is told that the company he works for is closing his division. Cool right. We had to " cobra " our coverage with he company that he left for the two month time that the new company requires you work for them to be added to their insurance. We were lucky the new company paid the cobra premiums for us. It would have been about $900.00 for two months. If you cobra the coverage the insur. company you go with must cover you just like you have been with them all the time, because there was no laps in coverage. If you do not cobra the coverage there is a laps and the pre-existing clause can apply. So the cobra part of the new law did help me this time. When I had surgery 10 yrs ago there was no such law and when we changed insur. companied with in the same company, they (my husbands employer) had two companies to chosse coverage from, they tried to deny my coverage for surgery because I went to the dr. three days after the old coverage was droped and the new coverage was to be in effect, you know coverage ends 3/31 at 12:01am new policy begins 4/1. Policy still had to be underwritten. Anyeay I had to take the insur. company to court to pay my bills. They settled out of court but not for 2 yrs. And I was just trying to recover from surgery. Thats all I have to say. Your glade right? Sorry so long. God bless. in NC ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 1999 Report Share Posted January 17, 1999 The more I read about the trouble some of you are having with your medical insurance companies, I've decided that our Medicare system has a lot going for it. Here you can either have private medical insurance or rely on the public system. I have always had to rely on the public system because with 5 kids and a preexisting condition we couldn't afford private cover but I can't complain about the service I have had. You just have to be patient with thewaiting lists. LOL Ann Brisbane Australia j Meckola wrote: > Hi All, > Just wanted to share what we have gone thru with insurance in the last > several months. First let me say that when my husband went to add me to > his insurance at work, I did not have insurance and had not for a long > time, anyway, because of the new pre-existing law they could not deny me > coverage but could defer my coverage for 18 months. The new lae did not > hepl me there. Instead of having insur. to cover everything execpt the > chiari for a year I had no insur. for 18 mo. I had to buy a one year > policy and pay the whole year in advance. > > I had an MRI in Aug. Had an appointment with the neurosurgen in which he > tells me that I have basilar invagination on the same day that my > husband is told that the company he works for is closing his division. > Cool right. We had to " cobra " our coverage with he company that he left > for the two month time that the new company requires you work for them > to be added to their insurance. We were lucky the new company paid the > cobra premiums for us. It would have been about $900.00 for two months. > If you cobra the coverage the insur. company you go with must cover you > just like you have been with them all the time, because there was no > laps in coverage. If you do not cobra the coverage there is a laps and > the pre-existing clause can apply. > > So the cobra part of the new law did help me this time. When I had > surgery 10 yrs ago there was no such law and when we changed insur. > companied with in the same company, they (my husbands employer) had two > companies to chosse coverage from, they tried to deny my coverage for > surgery because I went to the dr. three days after the old coverage was > droped and the new coverage was to be in effect, you know coverage ends > 3/31 at 12:01am new policy begins 4/1. Policy still had to be > underwritten. Anyeay I had to take the insur. company to court to pay my > bills. They settled out of court but not for 2 yrs. And I was just > trying to recover from surgery. Thats all I have to say. Your glade > right? Sorry so long. God bless. in NC > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 1999 Report Share Posted January 18, 1999 I have a question in reference to insurance coverage: I am not clear what an insurance company means exactly when they say they will not pay for treatment for any pre-existing conditions. Since chiari is usually a " birth defect " (at least as I understand it), then no one with chiari would be eligible for coverage. Am I understanding this correctly? If so, how are any of us managing to get care? Help? I'm brain-damaged and confused! Vikki in town ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 1999 Report Share Posted January 18, 1999 <l03020907b2c9137e142-@[204.170.26.215]> wrote: Original Article: /list/chiari/?start=10748 > I have a question in reference to insurance coverage: > > I am not clear what an insurance company means exactly when they say they > will not pay for treatment for any pre-existing conditions. > > Since chiari is usually a " birth defect " (at least as I understand it), > then no one with chiari would be eligible for coverage. > > Am I understanding this correctly? > > If so, how are any of us managing to get care? > > Help? I'm brain-damaged and confused! > > Vikki in town > > Vikki, In insurance lingo.....I think " pre-existing " refers to things already diagnosed. Until you are diagnosed with a certain condition, they don't consider you as having it. :-) Just my 2 cents! Wendi--New Mexico > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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