Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

In a few months, I will be losing my cushy corporate-provided health
insurance and will have to pay for it on my own as I am self-employed. I
can do Cobra for a short while but I want to know all of my options.

Here`s the catch. I have a serious pre-existing condition which is not
serious against my health but serious to keep on top of and costly as
well. In the past, I have been turned down for health insurance for much
less. Nobody and I mean no company would offer me a policy because I
had acne years ago. Not even at a higher premium.

Maybe the acne thing was some sort of weird fluke that looked like a red
flag to insurance providers, I don`t know. But now I have something
much more serious. (Don`t worry friends, I`m not dying or even sick or
anything.) Otherwise, I am very active and healthy.

Does anyone recommend a place to start? Have you been turned down or
found health insurance even though you had some sort of pre-existing
condition? What did you do?

Steve,

Sorry to hear about your situation.

Is is because you have a low twait? Is there any way you can get it raised?
Do you come from a long line of lowtwaits?

There are catastrophic policies (with high deductibles like $5k and higher) that just cover major stuff, not prescriptions. I`m sure a google search of `health insurance brokers` will return about 10 million hits. Covering a major preexisting condition, especially if your health insurance records reflect it, is going to be really expensive if someone will even cover it.

In my case, I was quoted $1600/month from Blue Cross. Part of this was based on their height/weight charts, along with me taking high blood pressure and a statin. I decided instead to start losing weight, eat better, and reapply with someone down the road when I was in better shape. I also switched the prescriptions I could to generics under Wal-Mart`s $4 generic drug program. My drug costs are now under $100 a month, and while I am looking for better coverage, at least I`m somewhat taken care of.

Hello Steve.

I do not have much to offer in particular. However, I suggest looking into "ZANDER" insurance (Brokerage firm). I heard of them on "The Dave Ramsey Show", a well respected and Nationally syndicated radio show on financial responsibilty.  If nothing else, I am sure they will send you in the right direction (very helpful people). I use them for Life insurance.

Heck! Let`s talk to "Rich and Jeff". Perhaps there are enough Memebrs to justify a STARUPNATION "self-insure" policy? It`s been done with less people? Try contacting them (ZANDER), and express your needs and requirements. It`s: www.zanderins.com 

Good health my friend.

Thanks for the advice so far. I do not have any prescriptions or drugs or
therapies or tests or any regularly schedules somethings. I exercise
regularly, yoga, road cycling, hiking, snowboarding, etc. Don`t smoke,
rarely drink.

So the thing is I have a pacemaker. Yeah, I`m 33 with a bum ticker. It
doesn`t keep me from doing all my outdoorsy active stuff or anything at
all, uh, exept going through normal airport security. I don`t have to do
anything about it unless it decides it wants to shock me if my heart
skips a beat (falling in love doesn`t count). So far, that has never
happened and it`s been years since I became bionic.

It`s a serious enough thing that I need to have insurance in case
something does in fact happen (which is the point of insurance). So my
question is what if I keep getting turned down like I had before, or just
can`t afford high premiums? Does anyone have any experience with this
sort of hard to get and/or afford insurance?

Rumpel... I`ll check out Zander. Thanks!

My answer?

I got married to someone who has a regular ol` corporate job. Actually, I got on his insurance before we were married, as a "domestic partner", and now our baby is on his insurance too.

You don`t even need a bum heart for it ... I was denied insurance from 5 different carriers at the age of 24 because I took allergy meds, Vioxx, and had 3 x-rays in the past year (I played a lot of soccer!). Luckily, some $20-per-treatment accupuncture got rid of the need for allergy meds and Vioxx ... but now I don`t have to worry about it because I`m on a group plan.

So, sorry for the not-fun answer. But you do have my sympathies ... insurance is a racket! Quite honestly I wonder if it`s easier to make no money and go on assisted health care - someone I knew had medicare and got the best care for $0, while I have to yell a lot at Kaiser just to get half the care. We seriously need some insurance reform in this country ...

If you were to get 500,000 people to contribute $500/years, for three years ($750,000,000 base fund).There would be no need for insurance premiums (as we know them) for that group. $750,000,000 @ 10% interest = $75,000,000/year. The National incident/illness rate for the ALL Governement Employees is 4-1/2 %..

It would take an average cost/incident of $3,333 to deplete just the interest only. The 4.5% figure runs the entire gamut on the injury spectrum. I find it hard to believe the costs-per-incident would EVER exceed $3,333. Unless there is a baby boom/plague - what`s the problem?

PS   These figures are not "NAIVE" by any stretch. These numbers are based on a sample of several Hundred-Thousand employess (from Congress Members to Lawn maintenance). Please don`t try to answer the "what`s the problem" remark. Unless you are a "Supersleuth" that specializes in: convolution, subterfuge, crooked statisticians (no two agree on anything in a courtroom), Immigration reform, and the Medical industry "at-large"? Don`t bother. 

As far as the Pharmaceutical Industry in concerned? Let them recuperate their R&D Money. It`s the Mega-Pharmacies that are out of control.

Some companies (Blue cross for example) offer a pre-existing condition waiver (for a fee) they will cover your pre-existing condition. they can be pricey tho.

In addition, out here in NY ther is a program called Healthy NY, in which they will not deny, but may withold coverage for a pre-existing condition for up to a year. I did a search and didn`t see anything like that in CO, except CCHN .

I wish you luck on your search, health insurance is tricky and expensive. Have you considered a Health Savings plan + catastrophic (emergy, hospital, surgery, etc) coverage? Here`s a link for a HSA company in CO.

Good luck!

Most people in this situation, say someone with a chronic condition such as diabetes who loses coverage, either has to get state coverage, or in some states, the state can more or less force someone to write you an affordable policy. I`m not sure about Colorado but in Minnesota, one of my friends who is diabetic recently lost his policy and had to get state coverage because he was considered uninsurable. So ... hope that helps.

 

p.s. You have a congenital arrhythmia? Or intermittent bradycardia? Is it idiopathic or does your doctor know why?

CookieMonster, it`s called ventricular tachycardia. Thanks for the tip
about the state coverage. Something to look into.

BeautifulPetunia, thank you for your suggestions as well. These are the
kinds of things I was curious about. I just wanted to get some leads for
various options.