New To Buying Individual Health Plans? You Have To Qualify!

New To Buying Individual Health Plans? You Have To Qualify!

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Have you always had medical insurance through your job? If so, this may come as no surprise to you but you dont actually have health insurance. You have a job that has health insurance. When you or you and your family apply for individual health plans and it gets issued, then YOU have medical insurance. It makes no difference if you have a high deductible health plan, or what the health insurance premiums are you still have to go through the carriers underwriting process.

Underwriting means that the carrier will look at the health records of you and each and every member of your family. One of the ways they do that is to get your MIB records. The MIB (Medical Information Bureau) is where your doctor sends a diagnosis of your visit each and every time you see him/her. They record your weight, blood pressure, and any prescriptions they may write for you. From your medical records and usually a phone interview the underwriters will make a decision to insure you, insure you with a rate up, insure you with a rider or to decline (not insure) you.

A rate up means they will insure you but will charge you extra money to cover a medical condition. A rider means they will insure you but will not cover a pre-existing condition. During this process they may also decline coverage to a family member but still insure the rest of the family. One of the requirements that have to be met is an acceptable height/weight ratio. Its different for every carrier. It is probably safe to say though that if you are a female and weight more than 250 pounds or a male and weight more than 300 pounds you will probably find it very difficult to obtain medical insurance.

Another big issue is the health of your heart. Every carrier is different but here are some guidelines from most carriers: Cardiovascular risk factors include blood pressure, lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides), build and use of tobacco products in the past 12 months. Three or more cardiac risk factors result in an uninsurable risk. Lipids requiring treatment with medication require physician assessment and labs within 12 months of application completion. Blood pressure requiring treatment with medication requires physician assessment and blood pressure readings with 12 months of application completion. Also, lipids or blood pressure requiring medication in combination with a 50% or greater ratable build results in an uninsurable risk.

About the Author:
To find a Health insurance broker or for more information on Individual Health Plans, visit Health Plans.
To find more information on health insurance visit Health Premiums



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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