Please help with Health Insurance questions

Kate925 · Post by **Kate925** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 3:32 pm

We just got new health insurance. It's expensive and it doesn't cover much of anything.

I have not yet been diagnosed with MS. Will it be difficult or impossible for me to get new insurance after diagnosis?

If my husband gets a new job and we get health insurance through the company, what happens if he leaves that company? Would I then be unable to get insurance?

I guess my main question is, do you get locked into the same insurance company once you get officially diagnosed with MS, because it's too expensive (or impossible) to change insurance companies?

I'm putting off going to the doctor for this until I'm sure we have good insurance, but we have to look for a new insurance company. I welcome your recommendations.

Thank you!

shaight · Post by **shaight** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 4:42 pm

i don't think you have to worry about it. my sister has MS and lost her job when the economy crashed a couple yrs ago. she now has a new job and has had no insurance issues.

from an employers perspective, we have a long term employee who has a child with a chronic disease. we have switched insurance companies a couple times over the years and it has not been an issue for him either.

granted, we all pay more and receive less from insurance these days...it is definitely broken.

Nola · Post by **Nola** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:10 pm

call the ms society for the best advice. also make sure you have life insurance and long term disability before dx. i wish i'd gotten advice when it mattered. best of luck to you at a stressful time.

Kate925 · Post by **Kate925** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:33 pm

Thank you for the responses.

The insurance that we just got is not through an employer. We have no employer.

My question is about getting a different insurance company after diagnosis. Since dh is unemployed, we wouldn't be going through a corporate plan.

Do I really need disability and life insurance? I don't work outside the home.

ssmme · Post by **ssmme** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:07 am

If I were you I would look into long term care insurance so you will have peace of mind for whatever happens in your future - do it before any MS diagnosis otherwise you won't qualify. I have had no problem getting insurance and I am self employed. Right now I'm on Anthem BCBS. None of us have any idea what the future holds for us but health insurance in the U.S. anyway shouldn't be and usually isn't prohibitive.

Drury · Post by **Drury** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:18 pm

I think the health insurance situation is terrifying. My daughter has individual health insurance because she does not get cover from her workplace and it is a frightening $2000.00 a month!! It has gone up every year from $599.00
in Oct 2005 to the current premium and we dread the next premium increase in October. She lives in New York but I fail to see how they can charge so much to an single person - I think its prohibitive and terrifying.

Kate925 it is hard because insurance companies here can refuse you if you put down the answer to a question incorrectly. My stepson was refused insurance from Aetna in Florida when he moved there (he was 25 and been covered by Aetna in New York for years by his father) because he did not inform them he had hurt his wrist while at college in Vermont. He simply did not remember the injury which was pretty minor but he was refused cover all the same.

I wish I could be as optimistic as ssmme. In spite of the horrendously high
premium for my daughters health insurance there are many out of pocket expenses if she goes out of network and unfortunately her neuro is out of network!

I am with Shaight the insurance situation here is most definitely broken!
I just do not understand how insurance companies can have so much power!

Kate925 · Post by **Kate925** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:48 am

Thank you for your responses.