What should I do about health insurance?

Comments

1. Zarnev says:

   April 4, 2010 at 12:30 am

   You will need to answer yes to the application question for smoking. If it is an individual policy and depending upon the company they might charge smokers rates. If it is a group policy there probably won’t be any difference in rates. You should also tell the doctor that you smoke, he’ll eventually be able to tell.

   The insurance company will not deny any health problems that develop in the future from the smoking if you’re honest. They might deny an existing health problem if you have been diagnosed with the problem. If you have not been diagnosed and don’t realize you have a problem they’ll cover it.

   They will let you know if there are any pre-existing condition clauses when you get the policy. Depending upon the company and the condition there may be a waiting period before the condition is covered, normally 6 – 12 months.
2. mbrcatz17 says:

   April 4, 2010 at 12:55 am

   The doctors don’t care – they don’t deny the bills, they don’t say, “oh, he’s a smoker” to the insurance company – they just submit the bills and the diagnosis to the medical information bureau. So if there is a diagnosis of emphysema, and the ins. company sees it, they ask the MIB if there’s a prior one – and THAT’S how the insurance companies find out.
3. Christie says:

   April 4, 2010 at 1:38 am

   When you apply for insurance, the insurance company may very well ask if you are a smoker. You must tell the truth. This will impact your rates, and they’ll be higher than if you were not a smoker, but unfortunately, that’s just a fact of life. Being a smoker puts you at a higher risk for health problems, so your rates are higher.

   The insurance company won’t deny you coverage simply because you’re a smoker.
4. sls314 says:

   April 4, 2010 at 2:35 am

   You have a couple of issues jumbled up into one question…I’ll try to sort them out and tackle individually:

   1) When applying for insurance, you do need to indicate that you’re a smoker. If by some chance you were caught lying on the application, that could be considered fraud and your entire policy would be cancelled. You could even end up owing for all the past medical bills that the insurer paid.

   2) You should always be honest with your doctor about medical conditions and health risks, so that your doctor can accurately assist you when you need medical care. Don’t lie to your doctor…ever.

   3) About pre-existing conditions…yes, there are certain circumstances where claims for a pre-existing condition can be denied. But your friends are mistaken in how that occurs:

   – First of all, there is a limit to how long a condition can be considered “pre-existing” on a new insurance policy. For example, if you have high blood pressure and are subject to a pre-existing clause on your policy, that doesn’t mean that you would never have coverage for anything relating to high blood pressure. It means that for that “waiting period” (usually 6 months to a year) you wouldn’t have coverage for things relating to the high blood pressure, but you’d be covered for everything else.

   – Second, “smoking” in and of itself isn’t considered a “pre-existing condition.” (Yes, it will likely cause you to pay a higher premium, but its not a pre-existing condition…its a lifestyle issue.) If you’re a smoker who happens to not have any medical complications from it so far, then there would never be a problem with your medical claims due to smoking. (Now, if you’re a smoker and it has caused you to develop severe asthma or some other disease…then that disease can be considered pre-existing. But not the smoking in and of itself.)