insurance

[dmathew]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea many years ago. Shortly after that, I tried to apply for health insurance and was denied because they considered sleep apnea an uninsurable preexisting condition. I have not had any treatment for this condition in 8 years, mostly because I got frustrated trying to make the equipment work for me. Does this mean I am insurable again? I probably need to get fitted for a new mask, but am afraid of losing my insurability. Anyone have any experience with this?

[Pugsy]

I have not had any treatment for this condition in 8 years, mostly because I got frustrated trying to make the equipment work for me. Does this mean I am insurable again?

No, the diagnosis stays with you even if you didn't follow up with treatment. Probably won't qualify for individual health insurance but group insurance might take you but they might put a rider on it. Would need to work for employer that offers group insurance and take it as soon as eligible. Depends on the group size. Larger group with big company would stand more chance of being insurable.
Life insurance? If they will insure life they will rate it sky high. And if they found out you were diagnosed and went untreated.... I doubt they would even offer a rated up policy.

[Otter]

One of my doctor's office people told me that insurance companies are usually only interested in the last three years of medical records. I trust her, so I'm sure that's true here. Your mileage may vary. But if you lie or even leave a relevant checkbox empty, they can refuse to pay even though you've been paying them. And you might have to switch doctors and wait a few years to shake off the diagnosis, but again, if they find out and you did anything to mislead them, rather than just allowing their laziness to do the work for you, you committed fraud, and your policy is useless.

In three years, the rules are scheduled to change. If you can't wait, try another insurance company. And start treatment again, preferably with a data-capable machine so that you can show your doctor (and hence the insurance companies) that you have great compliance and a low AHI. You might find an insurer that isn't as worried about your apnea as long as you're on the hose and it's working. Lots of poeple are being treated for sleep apnea these days. And even if you still can't get insurance, you will be a lot less likely to need it if you're sleeping through the night with no desats.

[Pugsy]

Time will depend on insurance company, what type of insurance a person is looking for and what the condition is.
Also wording of the health questions. It may offer a time line but again it may not. If a person had cancer 4 years ago and is in remission now, they will still care about the cancer. I used to sell health and life insurance and the insurance companies do indeed look way back in the records. Also there is a little wording trick.
"Have you ever had treatment for or WOULD HAVE been treated for....."
Some conditions the insurance company won't look very far back on but any condition that has the potential to cause the insurance company to be insuring a higher risk will be looked at very closely and much longer than 3 years.
Group insurance will have more flexible underwriting since there is a larger risk pool. Individual insurance will be very difficult or they might simply put a rider on policy excluding a condition that is risky.
Example. If you wrecked your car and didn't have collision insurance do you think that the insurance company would let you buy collision insurance now?

[Wulfman]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea many years ago. Shortly after that, I tried to apply for health insurance and was denied because they considered sleep apnea an uninsurable preexisting condition. I have not had any treatment for this condition in 8 years, mostly because I got frustrated trying to make the equipment work for me. Does this mean I am insurable again? I probably need to get fitted for a new mask, but am afraid of losing my insurability. Anyone have any experience with this?

Who paid for the diagnosis? (I presume you had a sleep study for them to come up with a diagnosis.)
How many years ago?

If you're NOT treating it, of course you have Sleep Apnea. In my opinion, SUCCESSFULLY TREATING it is like NOT having it.

Choosing NOT to treat it, for whatever reason, is just DUMB. With a little intelligence, ingenuity and stick-to-itivness, almost anyone CAN make this therapy work.

What happened to your equipment?

Yeah, there are LOTS of people in somewhat the same boat......having Sleep Apnea and no insurance. However, many of them have taken it upon themselves to at least TRY to treat it. They may have to circumvent the medical system, but they're doing it.


Den