How Not To Be Defrauded On Your Pre-Existing Conditions

By Keyes McCain

Almost all people dread pre-existing conditions - for good reason. People with pre-existing conditions like AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, high-blood pressure, and women who are pregnant rarely, if ever, can get health care insurance even if they begged for it.

By definition, pre-existing conditions are those health conditions (enumerated as AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, high-blood pressure, and women) that you were treated for in the past or are currently receiving treatment for. Not all health insurance providers are created alike, and there are companies that completely cover pre-existing coverage after a waiting period and there are some companies that do NOT cover it at all.

In other words, having a pre-existing condition puts you more at risk of being uninsurable, although being relatively healthy does not guarantee you'll be accepted at any time in a health insurance plan.

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), an insurance company may or not cover pre-existing conditions. The HIPAA defines a pre-existing condition as a medically diagnosed mental or physical condition that you were treated for six months prior to your enrollment.

Companies that cover pre-existing conditions typically have a waiting period of twelve months before you can be covered on your pre-existing condition. These are called guaranteed issue health insurance. Sadly, these days people with pre-existing conditions are being lured by unscrupulous merchants to enroll in fraudulent programs that provide neither real insurance nor real peace of mind.

How To Spot The Real From The Not

You will know if your guaranteed issue health insurance program is a real one if it is contractually-backed by a regulated insurer like AIG.Typically, there will be a waiting period on your pre-existing condition, although HIPAA guidelines indicate that the waiting period can be forgone if your previous health insurance coverage is creditable.

If somebody is peddling a guaranteed issue plan and brags that you can be covered for your pre-existing condition from day one (and you've never had any health insurance before that), then take caution.

The National Healthcare Anti-Fraud Association estimates that Americans are defrauded over $50 billion each year from their health benefits card, all through misrepresentation, altering of billing of services, documents that are forged, and computer technology.

Check http://www.guaranteed-issue-health-insurance.com for more information on guaranteed issue health insurance.

Interested parties who want to become insurance agents can go direct to the sign up page http://www.guaranteed-issue-health-insurance.com/agents.htm