How to Switch Health Care Insurance With Pre-Existing Conditions
- 1). Read your state health insurance laws. Federal HIPAA laws require a new health insurance company to cover you if you have maintained coverage with another company for 12 consecutive months with no more than 63 days of lapsed coverage. Your individual state can't have laws that are less advantageous for you, though they can pass laws that make it easier for you to qualify.
- 2). Speak with your current health insurance about COBRA if your insurance is with an employer. COBRA law allows you to continue health coverage for a limited time after you stop working for a company. This may allow you to get the requisite consecutive months of coverage prior to moving to insurance from a new source. COBRA coverage can be very expensive, so crunch the numbers carefully before committing to this option.
- 3). Get active with your current coverage if you can't qualify for the consecutive covered months provision. HIPAA laws require the new company to cover your pre-existing condition as soon as you've reached 12 total months of coverage in any combination of your old and new insurance. If you schedule treatments and buy prescriptions before transferring, you may be able to defray your health care costs while you ride out the waiting period.
- 4). Speak with a customer service representative from your new company. Find out what, if any, action you need to take to get your pre-existing condition treated on the schedule it requires. This step varies widely from organization to organization.
- 5). Continue to maintain the recommended treatment of your condition to the best of your abilities. In some cases, failure to maintain treatment can slow your progress toward eligibility for coverage.
