Arizona Individual Health Insurance
Health insurance is no longer just an option – it has become inevitable because of the health risks and the costs associated with the treatment of the same. With the help of health insurance, you can be ready for kind of any unforeseen medical circumstances that might need a lot of consideration. 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, it becomes mandatory to 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, health status and other factors such as smoking, geographical locations and healthcare costs that may affect your coverage and premiums. The state mandates health insurers to deny coverage to the applicant based on any of the above rating factors. Exceptions include individuals who are HIPPA-eligible.
Arizona does not have a high risk pool for the medically-uninsurable individuals. 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 two health insurance policies and guarantee their coverage. These two health 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 screening for breast cancer, care for some diabetes-related conditions, continuity of health care for pregnant women and contraceptives.
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 confronted with a pre-existing condition clause 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 or even the period of exclusion imposed on your pre-existing conditions. Pregnancy can also be determined a pre-existing condition, but not the 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 such as age, health, residential location, health care costs in your region and lifestyle habits 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. 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 for it.
It is important to remember that insurance protection can save you from huge medical bills and therefore, it is advisable to consult with an Arizona qualified broker or agent to help you choose from the variety of health plans.