Georgia Individual Health Insurance
As the health care costs continue to increase, the probability of finding appropriate health insurance can be tough. Health insurance is a crucial protection that no person or family should be without. Although it may be a little more costly than group coverage, Georgia individual health insurance is a perfect solution for those who lack any other coverage. Finding out more about the rules and regulations regarding these individual health plans in Georgia is your first step to deciding if this option is right for you.
Eligibility: How Am I Evaluated?
Under normal circumstances, insurers are allowed to determine who is accepted and who is denied for a Georgia individual health insurance policy. There are no laws or regulations in Georgia that restrict health insurers to accept or deny coverage to individuals. Factors that an insurer will normally use to determine whether or not to accept an applicant include past medical history, age, gender, type of health plan chosen and certain lifestyle habits. An insurer can deny you for these or any other reason.
In response to HIPPA Group-to-Individual Portability Coverage regulations, Georgia does require private insurers to guarantee issue of health insurance to HIPPA eligible customers through a conversion policy.
Georgia Guaranteed Benefits & Pre-Existing Conditions
The state of Georgia does not require insurers to carry standardized policies; however, there are certain benefits that every provider is required to cover for every customer, including screening of breast, colorectal, prostrate, ovarian and cervical cancer, childhood immunizations, certain diabetes treatments, care for children's clinical trials for anyone diagnosed with cancer before turning 19 years old.
Pre-existing conditions are loosely regulated in Georgia and leave a lot of room for insurers to make their own rules. Under Georgia law, an insurer can exclude pre-existing conditions from your policy for up to 24 months; however, there is no mention of what counts as a pre-existing condition and there is no limit on the look-back period into your past medical history to discover a pre-existing condition. Additionally, an insurer can add a pre-existing condition to your policy's elimination rider, which will allow them to avoid covering bills stemming from the condition for the life of your policy.
Georgia Individual Health Insurance Premiums
When it comes to your initial premium, an insurer can basically charge you whatever they want. Factors that they usually take into consideration include your health status, health history, gender, age, plan type, certain lifestyle habits, and number of people to be covered under the policy. There is no limit to what you can be charged by the insurer for the policy and the insurer retains the right to increase the rate at any point of time. As for the renewal of existing policies, your rates can be raised but the insurer cannot cancel your coverage based on your current health status. Your health insurer is obligated to renew your policy inspire of your changed health status. You may have to pay more premiums for your changed health status.
Before you buy a health insurance policy, you need to know exactly what is and isn't covered in your policy and how much you will pay in your premiums. Contacting a qualified broker or agent can help you in determining the health plan coverage suitable to you and your family's healthcare needs.