Arizona Individual Health Insurance
Health insurance is an important precaution that should not be overlooked by anyone, regardless of age or family status. Although it may be a little more costly than group coverage, Arizona individual health insurance is a perfect solution for those who lack any other coverage. As an Arizona resident, you should educate yourself in the state laws and regulations that affect these individual plans.
Eligibility: How Am I Evaluated?
In Arizona, health insurance applicants are reviewed based on a number a different factors, including age and health status. Any applicant can be turned down based on any of these factors as well. This excludes HIPPA eligible customers and newborns born to covered customers.
In response to HIPPA Group-to-Individual Portability Coverage regulations, Arizona requires private health insurers to provide eligible customers with a choice of at least 2 policies and guarantee their coverage. These 2 policies must be comparable to other policies on the market and must also be state approved.
Arizona Guaranteed Benefits & Pre-Existing Conditions
Arizona does not require private insurers to provide standardized policies, but they do require every health plan to cover certain benefits, such as mammograms and treatments for diabetes.
Arizona laws strongly favor health insurers when it comes to pre-existing conditions. Not only can a pre-existing condition be determined and excluded from coverage before you sign for the policy, but you can also be hit with a pre-existing condition clause down the road if you receive treatment for a condition that you didn't know you had, but that likely existed before your policy began. Pre-existing conditions can be subject to an exclusionary period (the length of which is not regulated by Arizona law) or an elimination rider (which excludes the condition forever). There is also no real regulation on how many months or years an insurer can look back into your medical history in order to discover a pre-existing condition. Pregnancy can also be determined a pre-existing condition, but not complications arising from the pregnancy after the policy goes into effect.
Arizona Individual Health Insurance Premiums
Your premiums can be determined based on a number of different individual factors and there are no limits on how higher your premiums can go because of these factors. Your premiums can also be increased when your policy is renewed, based on your insurer's discretion.
To conclude, your insurer can cancel your policy when it is time to renew, if they have decided to discontinue that policy altogether. Your policy cannot be cancelled because of a change in your health status, even when it is time to renew, but you may be charged a higher premium (as explained above). It is important to remember that even basic protection is better than no protection at all when one is suddenly hit with high medical expenses and large bills. Arizona individual health insurance can be a life preserver in these situations.