Health insurance is a priceless safeguard that every person and every family should consider. If you are without group health insurance coverage, purchasing a Connecticut individual health insurance plan is a great option. If you are considering this route, you may have a lot of questions about the laws in Connecticut regarding private health plans. The information below will seek to help you learn more about private insurance policies, the Connecticut laws surrounding them, and any rights that you may have.
Health insurance applicants in Connecticut are generally reviewed based on individual factors, such as age, health, and lifestyle choices. In most cases, private insurers in the state are free to turn down any applicant for any reason and there are no regulations in Connecticut?s individual health insurance law that mandate who should and should not receive medical insurance from private insurers.
In compliance with HIPPA Group-to-Individual Portability coverage, Connecticut guarantees acceptance into the Connecticut Health Reinsurance Association (HRA), the state?s high-risk health insurance pool, for those who are HIPPA eligible and have been turned down by private health insurance providers.
For the most part, insurers are not required to include specific policies in their selection of plans. There are no laws in Connecticut that mandate standardized policies for individual health insurance. That being said, there are a few benefits that all insurers are required to cover under all plans, such as prostate cancer screenings and diabetes testing and treatment.
With pre-existing conditions, health insurance laws in Connecticut allow the insurer a 12 month look back period to determine what conditions should be included as pre-existing. Those conditions can then be excluded from your policy for up to 12 months. The insurer can also list these conditions on your policy?s elimination rider. Additionally, any claim made on a specific condition within the first two years of your policy can be subject to a 12 month look back period prior to your application. If the condition is determined to have been pre-existing, your claim can be denied.
Your premiums can be determined based on a number of different individual factors and there are no limits on how much higher your premiums can go because of these factors. Your premiums can also be increased when your policy is renewed, based on your insurers discretion.
Finally, your insurance policy cannot be cancelled by your insurer because of declining health or the amount of claims made against the policy. You are guaranteed the opportunity to renew your policy, no matter what your health status may be at the time. However, you must also be willing to accept any premium increases imposed by the insurer to make up for these increased risk factors.