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Does my healthcare history affect my health insurance bill?

Man Wonders If Healthcare History Affects His Health Insurance BillA person’s medical history can affect their health insurance coverage if they have preexisting conditions. Preexisting conditions can make it hard for someone to find an affordable individual health insurance plan. In some situations, depending on the health insurance provider and preexisting condition, the health insurance company can just refuse to offer coverage.

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People with certain conditions, like cancer, often find it very hard to find health insurance. Websites dedicated to helping people with certain medical conditions typically have information regarding how that specific condition can affect someone’s health insurance options.

How are health insurance rates determined?

As with most forms of insurance, a policyholder’s rates are determined when the provider estimates how much risk the policyholder poses to insure. Ultimately, they look at how much money that particular policyholder will probably cost the company to insure.

While someone with a spotty driving history is a greater risk to a car insurance company, a person with a long history of bad health or who leads an unhealthy lifestyle is seen as a greater risk to the company. If someone is so unhealthy that the insurance provider feels they will end up costing the company a lot of money, the health insurance provider can just deny coverage.

What types of conditions and lifestyle choices affect health insurance rates?

When it comes to lifestyle, the most obvious thing companies worry about is smoking. A smoker will most likely pay more for health insurance than a nonsmoker. The health insurance company also will look other factors such as diet and the activity level of the policyholder.

A factor most people might not consider when they are applying for healthcare that can affect their coverage options is their weight. Most providers have an acceptable weight range. It is not uncommon for people who are obese to be denied coverage completely. The obese are seen as a greater risk to insure because they are more likely to develop certain conditions like diabetes and heart disease than other people are.

Even if someone no longer has a disease, they can still find it hard to find adequate health insurance just because they had that condition in the past. Cancer survivors are an excellent example. No matter how long a cancer survivor has been in remission, they are still considered a greater insurance risk. This is because they are more likely to have the cancer return than a previously healthy person is to develop cancer at all.

How can I find good health insurance if I do have a preexisting condition?

The easiest and most common way for someone to find affordable health insurance when they have a preexisting health condition, is by getting their health insurance through their employer. Since plans are sold to employers as a group policy, they are much less expensive than an individual policy.

Group health insurance policies through an employer tend to be more lenient when it comes to preexisting conditions since they have to cover so many different types of people. Often people do not have to have a medical exam before being approved for an employer’s health insurance plan.

If a person’s employer does not offer health insurance, or a person must buy a self-employed health insurance plan, there are many things that they can do to find the most affordable health insurance they can. The most important thing they can do is familiarize themselves with their state’s individual laws. Every state handles health insurance differently and this is important information to know especially for someone that has recently moved to a new state.

It is also important for the person searching for a new policy to get quotes from as many reputable health insurance providers as possible, especially if they have preexisting conditions. Certain health insurance providers might have special programs specifically for people with certain preexisting conditions that make the coverage more affordable.

Not settling for the first quote that gives them a decent rate will give someone looking for a new health insurance policy the best chance of finding the best price available. Even if they have no preexisting conditions, it is always smarter to shop around before making such an important decision.

The free online tool above is a great way to compare health insurance rates to make sure you are getting the best price possible. Enter your zip to get started today!