Individual Health Insurance In California
Hope for People with Preexisting Conditions

There are certain physical conditions which may make it difficult for Californians to obtain affordable health insurance coverage. If a person’s employer does not offer health insurance, or is a person is self-employed, he or she must go on a search to find suitable health insurance for themselves and their family. They may be shocked at the cost of health care, especially if any preexisting conditions apply to their situation.

Insurers are naturally apprehensive about granting health insurance to people who have a history of certain ailments, such as diabetes or cancer. Other factors such as obesity, tobacco usage, or even a family history of certain ailments can have a big effect on the subsequent cost of any insurance policy which may be offered by the company. Individuals cannot necessarily hide certain physical conditions either, as many health insurance companies require a physical exam, complete with blood tests before issuing a policy. If a person manages to hide an ailment and then needs to be treated for it the policy provider may find out about the prior history of the ailment and claim health care fraud. The insured person will have their policy immediately cancelled, the insurance company will refuse to pay any further claims, and may take action to take back any prior claims they had already paid. There may be legal ramifications involved in a situation like this as well.

So what is a person with a preexisting condition to do? California offers what is called a state pool, which is a grouping of people who purchase health insurance together to offset the cost. All these people are considered high risk in one way or another, whether it is due to a preexisting condition or being employed in a high-risk occupation. By pooling all of the people together they receive a lower premium than they would if they merely sought out individual health insurance coverage by themselves. These sorts of groupings are a great idea for people who would otherwise be spending exorbitant amounts of money for their health insurance coverage. Enrollment into a state pool is not very simple though since the state will sometimes limit the amount of people who can be enrolled at one time or another.

Paying high monthly health insurance premiums is certainly preferable to simply not obtaining health insurance at all. A person cannot merely keep their fingers crossed that they will never need health care, and this sort of thinking also ignores the vital aspect of preventative care which is often covered by health insurance. The cost of emergency health services can be astronomical. In theory health insurance will allow for people to receive the sort of care, such as annual exams and lab tests, which prevent major problems from going unnoticed. In this sense, the high cost of individual health insurance is actually much better than the cost of paying out-of-pocket for whatever ailment pops up. The trick is finding health care coverage which will accommodate each person’s particular needs and is not ridiculously expensive.