Of course they can!
Simple answer, isn’t it?  But we do have to consider those nasty probabilities.  No!  “The Insurance Agent” is not going to bore you again.  You will just have to re-read his last blog.  For now, let’s just say that if a condition exists now, it is probable that it will continue to exist.  Don’t believe me?    Just ask your Dr.   If you are suffering from a knee injury and have been treated by your Dr. in the past, you will most likely need to be treated for it again.  Maybe even again and again.                        

Let me put it in a slightly different way.  If you had to replace a wet carpet because the roof  was leaking, you are most likely to have to replace it again if the roof is still leaking.

STOP!  We are talking about people here.  Real life human beings  who are hurting.   Not rugs or “things”.  Yes, we are, but your Dr. is still going to need the money to help you feel better. 

Let’s try to set aside for a moment, the emotions that are attached to one of us being in pain. 

Maybe we can think about a hurricane for a moment.  Can you buy insurance to protect you from a hurricane if you live in the Mid-West?  Yes, of course.  You can even buy insurance to protect the cost of rebuilding your home caused by a hurricane if you live on the coast.  Will you pay the same premium?   Of course not.  Why?  Because hurricanes happen more often on coastal areas than they do in the Mid-West.

Here is a possible solution.  Let’s pass a law to prevent hurricanes!  “The Insurance Agent” is just kidding. 

 But there is an other possible solution.  If the folks who live in the Mid-West would be willing to pay a bit more for their hurricane insurance (even though they are less likely to need it) it would lower the cost of Insurance for the folks who live on the coast who would most likely need to use it.

Would this work?  Absolutely!

Let’s just be clear that the folks in the Mid-West understand that it will cost them more of their money to do so, and, since we are a free society, they should be free to make that decision, AFTER UNDERSTANDING ALL OF THE FACTS! 

Please be sure that we all understand the facts!

“The Insurance Agent” is going to stick his neck out here and make a statement……”I’ll bet most of us believe that it is a fact that people with pre-existing conditions are excluded from Health Insurance coverage”   This is more “Half-truth” than fact. 

Before I state my case, please be aware that Insurance, including Health Insurance varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction so we are forced to look at it in general terms.  We need to also consider Health Insurance Contracts (yep, they are contracts) are not generally standard.

If  a person applies for Health Insurance they will be asked if they are now or have been treated for any health conditions.  If they have been, can they still be issued a policy?  Yes they can!   Suprised?  I’ll bet you are. 

Of course it is “The Insurance Agent’s” job to help you see through the fog.  So, bear with me. 

Let’s say you are an individual who is applying for Health Insurance for the first time as and Individual (Individual is a key word here) and you happen to have been treated for a back condition within a certain period of time, maybe within one year.  You will most likely be accepted  for a Health Insurance policy for treatment your receive EXCLUDING for your back condition.  Hence the phrase, Pre-existing Condition.  Depending upon the Insurance Co. or your jurisdiction your Health Insurance may provide coverage for your back condition after you have  gone un-treated for a specific period of time. 

The hard fact here is that if you are applying for Health Insurance as an Individual and you have serious health issues you most likely will be denied coverage.

Let’s change your situation here.  Suppose you have just changed jobs.  You are being offered the chance to obtain Health Insurance by your new employer (the size of your Employer Group will differ by definition from jurisdiction to jurisdiction) and you have had continuous Health Insurance ( for the past 60 days) you will be eligible for coverage and your Pre-existing Conditions will be covered.

Since most people who are provided Health Insurance receive it through their Employer Group (And no, “The Insurance Agent” is not one of them) a Pre-existing Condition is not a concern.

Ok, we are getting a bit long winded here.  We are supposed to be looking at solutions.  But, as you can see, since the challenges are not as simple as you may have been led to believe, the solutions will not be simple either.  I will not apologize for taking up this much of your time. “Hey, you can always hang up. “Oops” I mean log off.

Are there solutions?  Yes there are.

Maybe if we all buy Health Insurance ( remember I said… buy)  and those of us who use it least (Hey, remember the folks in the Mid-West with the Huricanes) are willing to pay more for it,  we may be able to fix this challenge.  The decision is ours but we all need to make those decisions after considering all of the facts.

“Hey, I just had a thought” I could have save both of us ( yes, “The Insurance Agent” does have a life) a lot of time with just one statement.

“There is no such thing as a free lunch”

‘Nuffsaid.