Quote:
Originally Posted by block911
I work for Horizon.. best bet.. move to PA. Health ins. is much cheaper there.
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Cheaper Yes BUT!!, much much harder to get especially for a 58 to 64 year old and much harder if you smoke and have pre-existing conditions such as hyper-tension or just being overweight. Being treated for psych will just about negate any possibility of getting a plan or if you are lucky, a rider may amend the policy listing all physical and psychiatric exclusions. If you are in your 20s, it is much easier and cheaper to get insurance.
In NJ you tend to use health insurance at a whim for just about any ailment which bothers you as most policies have a reasonable co-pay. There are 3 to 4 providers in NJ who will provide individual or family coverage. Aetna, Blue Cross, Oxford, US Healthcare etc. You pay the nose bleed premium and you are accepted with a choice of co-pays.
In PA, Utah and many other States, in order to obtain an INDIVIDUAL or FAMILY policy, (unemployed) you must go through an underwriter's review before you are accepted. This includes review of medical records from your treating doctors and a information supplied by the Medical Information Bureau. (MIB). The underwriters then create a scoring system based upon your age, medical history, credit history and whether you are or were a smoker. Each Insurance company has there own set of scoring standards.
If you are rejected, you must attempt to apply at another Insurance Company. If you are accepted, you can select from a dozen plan options which usually includes catastrophic coverage with a very high deductible.
There may be a couple of exceptions for PA. For the city of Philadelphia
there may be a law stating that you cannot be rejected and the second
exception may be for NE PA using Blue Cross, Blue Shield as they are tied to the Federal Government (Medicare) (further research needed). In PA, if you are a sole proprieter (sp) of a business, you then would be lumped in a GROUP plan which does not use insurance underwriters.
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Health Insurance PA
