Options for health insurance when loosing group health coverage
20 08 08 - 14:00
Health insurance options
Experts say workers who abruptly lose their health insurance when an employer files for bankruptcy can take several steps to try to get claims paid and find new insurance:
Ask the U.S. Department of Labor, 1-866-444-3272, to look into your case. It can investigate how your company handled worker benefits, says spokesman Richard Manning.
The Texas Department of Insurance, 1-800-252-3439, also has experts who can help guide you.
For insurance, see if you can get coverage under your spouse's policy.
Check out the individual insurance market, advises Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a Washington D.C., trade group. Insurance companies are not required to cover every applicant or every condition, he cautions, so shop around.
Most workers who cannot find insurance on their own can get coverage under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. It guarantees employees who had health coverage access to a policy that provides coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, including pregnancy.
To obtain a HIPAA-eligible policy, you must apply within 63 days of losing your old coverage. You also must show proof that you had insurance.
If possible, ask your previous health insurance company for a "certificate of coverage." If that doesn't work, round up as many of your most recent "explanation of benefits" forms as you can find to provide the new insurer information about your previous coverage.
If you've been turned down elsewhere, apply for insurance through the state's high-risk pool, which in some cases may be the same as a HIPAA policy. However, this can be an expensive option.
Get another job. Employer- sponsored group plans are not allowed to exclude pre-existing conditions, insurance experts say.
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