Declined Insurance Because of Depression
I just applied for personal health insurance and I got declined because I am on an anti-depressant for minor depression. I called the insurance company and told them that I don’t care about insurance for the depression and I will pay for my own medication. They told me they can’t do that. Is this true? What are my options?
Let’s address your first question: “Is this true?” We first need to know in which state you reside. As far as other options, we will need to know the following; 1) do you currently have health insurance, 2) when did you last have health insurance, and 3) what type of health insurance did you most recently possess?
I live in a state of depression, especially now that I can’t get health insurance. Kidding, I know what you meant. I live in California. I have not had health insurance for at least 3 years when I got cancelled from my parent’s insurance when I turned 19. Do I have options?
Comment by Susan — November 21, 2006 @ 10:21 pm
Well, at least you have a sense of humor about it!! To address your initial question, yes, it is true. California is one of the few states in the country that prohibits an insurance company from placing an elimination rider on your policy. This means that if they accept you for coverage, they must accept you as you are and can’t exclude from your policy the treatment of a pre-existing medical condition. These California regulation is intended to protect the insured, but it often backfires, as your situation exemplifies. You might be surprised at the number of people that are not able to obtain health insurance in California for what would seem a minor medical condition.
As far as options, not all insurance companies may use the same underwriting guidelines. Just because one insurance company declined you for depression does not mean that they all will decline you. Don’t give up. Your ability to get insurance may also depend on the type of health insurance plan you apply for. For instance, if you apply for a basic hospital plan that does not offer prescription coverage, the insurance company might be more inclined to insure you. The best thing for you to do at this point is to contact an insurance broker that represents many different insurance companies. Most are familiar with the underwriting guidelines of all the insurance companies, and they will know which insurance companies are most likely willing to accept you with minor depression.
Comment by admin — November 21, 2006 @ 10:36 pm
About insurance and depression. I have a friend who was in the same situation, so I will give you the same advice I gave him. If you have been covered previously under employer provided health insurance and now find yourself facing no health insurance, then you should take a look and see if you are covered under HIPAA laws and also if you can convert to COBRA. Next step if that is not an option is to ask around more companies that just one. Underwriting rules are different from company to company with regards to when, how and why you were treated. While the company you applied with may not accept you, another company could do so. Otherwise you could be up for acceptance after some time has passed. If you haven’t been treated for depression for the last year then that should generally not be a problem. So I suggest you look into HIPAA and then check with some other companies to see if they will offer you insurance at a different price. It is still better than to have no health insurance.
Comment by Andrew — June 2, 2009 @ 9:38 am