How a pre-existing condition affects your ....

I have blue cross ins. Through my ex (were still legally married) but that obviously is not going to last forever and when we get divorced I lose my insurance.

Does anyone know what the effects are of having a pre-existing condition (bipolar/major depression) on my 'record'. Later on will I be able to purchase a private plan? I also read yesterday that I would not be able to get a life ins. Policy? Is there other ways this affects certain aspects of ones life?

I'm concerned now what I can & cannot get due to my diagnosis...

in the US, you can get health insurance even with pre-existing conditions either through the the government (I think it is healthcare.gov) or through some private companies. I don't know how reliable the private ones are. I would do lots of research if I were you. the government premiums are not that cheap. From 2014, I believe health insurance companies can no longer discriminate based on pre-existing conditions. Not sure if that will change later on..

First of all have no fear, you can still qualify for a life insurance policy with those diagnosis, the insurance comopany may want to know how long youve beeen diagnosed and how well youve managed under these condition, even people who have tried to commit suiicide still qualify it just depends on time past and current state of mind. you may just be paying an "prefered premium" or "prefered plus" rates. The insurance co is not going to dig turough your mental health file to find a reason to deny you. You may not pay what you had when you were married but you are still ellidgable!!!

Many insurance plans will not have pre-existing condition exclusions if you can show you were insured under another policy immediately before joining the new one. Will you be getting health insurance through an employer or do you have to get it privately? (You mentioned getting a private plan at a later date, but I wasn't sure if this was your situation now.) And yes, life insurance can be tricky. But if you are eligible for an employer-based life insurance plan, they will usually have a no-questions-asked period where you can sign up regardless of your health history.

As far as a mental health diagnosis affecting other areas, yes, it could. Like, with your driver's license, for example...some states require a form filled out by your pdoc stating whether or not you are able to safely drive. But it's not just the psych diagnoses they're watching for. Things like heart problems and epilepsy are also monitored.

Oh ok thank you. No right now my ins is through my ex through an employer. When that ends I will be forced to buy an indivual plan and that's what I was worried about...getting denied for individually purchased plan!

Unless my disability goes through and I get Medicare or Medicaid I'm not sure which one it is but from what I've read disability can take a minute so I don't want to rely solely on that until I actually have it!

Thanks guys for your replies!

Can you have your lawyer push for keeping your health insurance through your husband (with a possible financial obligation for you to pay the difference between his single policy and adding you) as part of the divorce settlement? You could cite your medical condition as an extenuating circumstance.

Just a thought...

Dragonfly2. Hmmm that is a very good idea. I never thought even close to that I am most def going to have to investigate that possibility deeper! Thanks

If the policy is still in effect with your husband's policy, you want to get what is called a "Certificate of Coverage" from them, showing you have coverage. If you pick up another insurance before your current insurance expires, due to HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), you cannot be subject to pre-existing clauses on your new policy. Make a copy of the COC for the new insurance company.

If it does not work out to to extend the current (husband's) policy such as through COBRA, pick up another insurance before this one expires. COBRA sometimes however can be more expensive than some individual policies so do your research, but BEFORE the plan expires. Or at least extend the current one into COBRA until you can find a new one so you are covered. Do not want to let insurance lapse, otherwise you will be subjected to pre-existing clauses.

Thank u very much for that info! Very helpful

You might be able to continue your current insurance, at least for awhile, as part of your divorce settlement. Otherwise, states have insurance policies for those who cannot get coverage elsewhere and/or, there's Government Medicaid, etc.

I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield from my State because private plans will not cover me (I'm obese), it is more expensive but is fine/regular insurance. They have similar but less expensive options for those who are not able to afford more expensive ones. I think California's BC/BS plan is called "Anthem": http://www.anthem.com/health-insurance/home/overview

There is no protection right now for pre-existing conditions if you have any break in insurance. Some companies give you things like a certain number of days that you can have between one policy and the next and not have it considered a pre-exhisting condition. Others, like the one I get through school (it is technically an individual policy) gives you NO days between without everything being considered a pre-exhisting condition. I had to buy COBRA to cover the 14 days between the end of my insurance for work and the beginning of my school's insurance (yes literally those days would require everything to be considered a pre-exhisting condition). So be careful. Pre-exhisiting conditions also usually apply to things like group policies (and policies like my school's that are required to take everyone who applies). Individual policies are trickier because often they just wont accept people with pre-exhisting conditions. Right now there are no protections for individuals (though they should be coming in the next few years). Also be careful when you apply for these policies, as if you are rejected from one policy that can be a reason for another individual policy to reject your application also. Yes our system is totally broken.

The benefit plans I have worked with only allow a married dependent (other than children). Being divorced from the employee makes you ineligible for benefits.

Vanessa, you might ask him to ask his company (or call them directly yourself) if you can stay on his company's plan if you pay for your own insurance. Some companies may let you do this as long as he is employed there, others won't. When I got divorced my old employer let my ex-husband stay on their group plan (which is cheaper than individual insurance) as long as he paid them on time for his insurance. It doesn't hurt to ask, the worst thing they will tell you is no you can't.

I recently went thought this when my employer (I get reimbursed for a private policy) wanted me to shop for better rates. I can understand your concerns. I actually talked to my T about this quite a bit.

The best advice I have is do your research. There are companies or state policies that will cover you, but you might have to do some research to find the best policy for you.

The worst part of the application process for me was answering question after question about my mental health for a policy that didn't even cover mental health!

The other thing I am doing is getting my free yearly report from MIB. (It's like a credit bureau of health information that insurance companies use.) I think it only records info when you apply for private coverage, but I like to keep tabs on what information they have about me. Just like a credit bureau, they might have errors in their information. http://www.mib.com/html/request_your_record.html