| People with pre-existing medical conditions are often | | | | pre-existing medical conditions. The Health Insurance |
| worried that they might be denied or excluded from | | | | Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects |
| health coverage, and with good reason. Many health | | | | your coverage when you buy, change, or renew health |
| insurance companies refuse to cover people with | | | | insurance. While its provisions against discrimination and |
| conditions such as heart disease, cancer, asthma, | | | | inclusion are not comprehensive, it also lets you take |
| diabetes, and high blood pressure. Some relatively | | | | advantage of creditable coverage. In fact, the |
| minor conditions, such as hay fever or injury, may also | | | | creditable coverage portion of HIPAA may be the |
| cause people to be excluded from health coverage. | | | | most relevant to you. It states that if you have |
| While there will be many changes in the next few | | | | coverage before enrolling in a new health plan, without |
| years, it is important to know how having a medical | | | | a break of more than 63 days, you will not be subject |
| condition will affect your health insurance today. | | | | to an exclusion period. So, for example, if you were |
| The most serious possibility is that an insurance | | | | covered under your employer's health plan for a year |
| company will deny you outright. Just as likely is the | | | | and then switched to private insurance right away, you |
| possibility that you will be accepted but will have to | | | | would be completely covered. |
| wait through a pre-existing medical conditions exclusion | | | | Fortunately, people with pre-existing medical conditions |
| period. This means that during the first six to eighteen | | | | will not have to put up with the current situation for |
| months of coverage, you will have to pay premiums | | | | much longer. The Patient Protection and Affordable |
| but will not be covered for any treatment pertaining to | | | | Care Act which was signed in March 2010 promises to |
| your condition. Plans provided by your employer | | | | drastically change the way insurance companies |
| cannot exclude you for more than twelve months, | | | | operate. It eliminates pre-existing condition requirements |
| however. Starting in September of 2010, however, | | | | and prevents both adults and children from denial of |
| children (defined as anyone under the age of 19), | | | | coverage based on existing conditions. The act will |
| cannot be denied coverage or excluded from | | | | cover children starting in September, 2010, and will |
| treatments. | | | | extend to adults in 2014. If you are currently dealing |
| There are ways to get around the current problems | | | | with insurance companies who refuse coverage, take |
| you may face if you are one of those who have | | | | heart and do not give up. |