Denied insurance do to sleep apnea.

[sagesteve]

Contact AIM: http://www.aimhealthplans.com I was in the same boat but a little different. I moved from California to Arizona and "figured" that my fantastic Blue Shield policy would follow me....WRONG!! Turns out, Blue Shield is NOT the same in Arizona as California. Then it happened, I'm 62. I had just been diagnosed with diabetes type 2 a few years ago. I went to renew with Blue Shield at the time and they found out about the diabetes...long story short--DENIED. Turns out with these guys (and Blue Cross) ANY pre-existing conditions and they won't touch you. (actually, MOST won't!). I have my own businesses and I insure myself through AIM. Take a look at it and call them and ask questions. I pay $271 a month for "pretty good" coverage. Under Blue Shield California I was paying $130 a month for FANTASTIC coverage and $35 a month for COMPLETE dental...Oh well, you get old and the crap hits the fan (sorry, was that a fart??!). Good luck.

[csellebrecht]

The underwriting will vary from state to state depending on the insurance code for the state you live in. I am in California and can only speak for California but for certain pre-exisitng conditions it is the same. Sleep Apnea will get you denied with many of the companies and your only other option would be a HIPPA plan. Almost all insurance underwriting departments use the MIB(medical information bureau) database and they will find out if you were diagnosed with any type of long term illness, it may not be right away but they will do their homework so lying is never a good idea. The AIM health plans are not considered major medical and are an indemity plan, they only pay a maximum of $1000 per day for hospitalization and not really much for anything else. Cobra is your best option right now. I did have a client tell me about a federal plan that would pay half of your cobra payment for an addition 9 months, if you want i can call him and find out exactly how they got into that..PM me if interested.

Ps. I own an insurance brokerage in California...

Good Luck!

[jdm2857]

That's true. I'm not sure about the percentage, but part of Obama's recovery plan will pay a good part of COBRA heath insurance premiums for those laid off.

[Muse-Inc]

The federal plan mandates that the person pay 35%. The coverage maximum is 18 months.

If your employer is small (<20 employees), they are not covered by federal COBRA; however, many States have what's called a Mini COBRA that is similar and some States have passed legislation that matches the federal mandate though typically not for 18 months.

[SleepyT]

dreamchick,
thanks for taking the time to post all that GREAT info! that will help so many people. good job!

t.

[apnez]

Reading about all this as private insurances are concerned convince me that you will need a "revolution" to get out of that big mess. It is not understandable why Americans can't do better than that with their health system. All developed countries do better than you in term of coverage, accessibility, costs and results. You are too smart and nice people. You don't deserve it. It's a shame.

[LouC]

Take the COBRA. One bad break could wipe out a lifetime of work. My wife & I pay almost $1200/mo for very good coverage here in AZ. My wife retired from the State, but we elected to stay in the "active employee" program, so we get a token state contribution. Between my cancer & my wife's brain aneurysm last year, retail costs were into 7 figures. That insurance is the best investment we ever made. Non covered costs were less than $3000. A relative wound up with a heart valve problem diagnosed in a rural area. The helicopter ride alone was $28,000. They had good US Govt 85/15 coverage but the whole hospital stay still cost them over $30,000.

Apnez: America will never be able to socialize health care until they are willing to reform liability & malpractice laws and come up with a standardized system for medical record keeping. Now that we have a lawyer for President, that doesn't seem too likely. We do have free medical care -- if you are in jail.

[LisaEileen]

This conversation is scaring me. My dh's company doesn't offer insurance. We're on Medicaid. Medicaid keeps denying my claim for a bipap. The doctor will be talking to the medical director this afternoon and try to convince him of my need for it. My dh is looking at a job that offers medical insurance. Now I'm wondering if that's the best option. I have sleep apnea, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia and acid reflux. My 4 year old has autism. The way this conversation is going, my daughter and I will end up not getting coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

[remstarcpap]

It sucks, but here's what I would suggest.

First of all, take the Cobra, and get the federal subidy if you qualify. That will make it expensive but affordable. Don't go without health insurance.

Next, sit tight. Health care reform is right around the corner, so it's all gonna change shortly. Companies won't be able to deny coverage to people with existing conditions.

Worst case scenario, wait until 3 months before cobra is going to expire, and start applying for private insurance. If you can't find a company who will cover you on an individual policy, you will qualify for Hippaa insurance which is guaranteed issue insurance, priced at 170% of a regular policy. This is pricy, but if you go to an HMO like Kaiser, could be affordable. Still better than nothing.

In general, insurance companies don't want to take anyone on an individual policy who has ANYTHING wrong with them. That's the problem with healthcare for profit.

[roster]

........ It is not understandable why Americans can't do better than that with their health system. All developed countries do better than you in term of coverage, accessibility, costs and results. ..........

You obviously have been listening to the whiners among us.