Can I get my own health insurance when I turn 18 if I have a preexisting condition?

1. Even if you are able to obtain health insurance, it will probably exclude preexisting conditions for the first 6-18 months. However, this may not apply if there gap between when you are covered by your father’s plan and the new insurance is no more than 2 months and you had creditable coverage under your father’s plan for at least 18 months.

2. If your father’s plan is a “employer sponsored group health plan” and you had it for at least 18 months, then HIPAA gives you the right to a guaranteed issue policy, which “all health insurance companies who sell individual plans must offer you … regardless of your medical history [including preexisting conditions.” However, you cannot exercise this right while you have the option to stay on your father’s plan. This option applies only after you become ineligible for group health insurance, and exhaust your ability to continue it using COBRA or CAL-COBRA. Also, this option is usually too expense for students to afford.

3. “The Major Risk Medical Insurance Program (MRMIP) offers limited health insurance benefits to California residents who are unable to purchase health insurance due to a preexisting medical condition. If you have a preexisting condition and are not eligible for COBRA, Cal-COBRA, or HIPAA, then you can apply to MRMIP as a last resort to obtain health coverage. This program provides health care coverage through contracted health insurance companies and health plans. MRMIP is partially subsidized; however, qualifying participants must pay a portion of the premium, which can be costly. MRMIP is under the jurisdiction of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB).” Accepting this coverage is not “unfair to the people who really need it and have no other way of getting help” because they cannot afford this coverage anyway.

Source(s): http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0100-consumers/0060-in…

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RE :Can I get my own health insurance when I turn 18 if I have a preexisting condition?

I turn 18 this summer and would like to apply for private health insurance but am concerned I will be denied due to having Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I am currently insured under my dad’s plan and can stay under it until I graduate from college, but for personal reasons I’d really like to take care of all my own expenses and be independent. I have no experience with health care insurance and would appreciate advice on how I’d obtain it and approximately how much it would cost per month. I live in California. I wouldn’t want to go on any sort of government assisted plan because that’s unfair to the people who really need it and have no other way of getting help, so if you could please make other suggestions that would be great. Thanks.

Update: Thank you, Chris C. I’m on my 6th cycle of chemo. I hope to be in remission by the time I turn 18. I’m in LA. I’ll look for brokers. : )

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RE Can I get my own health insurance when I turn 18 if I have a preexisting condition?

I turn 18 this summer and would like to apply for private health insurance but am concerned I will be denied due to having Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I am currently insured under my …show more

If you apply for a private insurance that you pay for yourself, you will be underwritten based on your current health issues. That being said, you may get the private insurance with either a less than desirable rating (to you that means more cost/higher premium) or possibly a rider saying they will cover you for everything BUT your preexisting condition — or make you wait a specific period of time 2 – 5 years.

The best suggestion I can make to you is apply and get approved for your own insurance *before* cancelling the insurance with your father. The very last thing on your to-do list should be taking your name off his policy. You don’t want to take your name off his policy, get denied and not have any insurance.

Please also keep in mind the underwriting process itself can take several weeks depending on the company and you will likely have to a clinic or see a nurseoc approved by the insurer (and paid for by the insurer) for a medical exam.

I hope this helps.

Becuase of your pre-existing condition it is best to meet with a broker in your area (depends on what city your in, but you can look in the yellow pages, or just google search “insurance broker” and the city you live in and I’m sure a pile will come up). Every company has different requirements for their underwriting and with advancements in medicine, some are looking at things like cancer in a different way now. Different forms of cancer have different rates of recovery and different odds of it coming back. Some companies have a 2 year waiting period from your last treatments, some have a waiting period of 5 years. A broker will be able to help you shop around and find a company that will cover you. In the meantime, make sure you keep on your dad’s insurance. Being slightly dependent on your dad for a couple years, if better than not having anything at all!

Be prepared though, depending on how recent the lymphona was, you may not be able to get coverage from anywhere just yet.

Best of luck!

Source(s): Financial Advisor.

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to get private health insurance, with a very recent history of cancer.

Your choices will be to continue under dad’s plan, even if it’s COBRA; to get your own full time job, with access to health insurance benefits; to apply for welfare health insurance in the form of Medi-Cal, if you qualify; or to try to get into your state high risk health care.

I’d strongly suggest, that YOU are one of the people who “really need” health insurance, and have no other way of getting help, except your dad’s plan.

AND, even if you CAN get a private policy, it could very well be costing you a couple thousand A MONTH. I don’t think that’s going to be particularly affordable for an 18 year old.

I can understand your desire to be independent. However, in your situation it most likely would be “cutting off your nose to spite your face”. If there are other children in the family who are included in your father’s insurance there is most likely not an additional cost to continue to cover up (typically 1-99 children cost the same). If you are the only dependent on the plan, you most likely would be getting much better rates through your dad’s plan instead of individually.

A college student has many expenses, this might not be the best one to take on. Although, you might want to offer to pay your dad for your portion of the coverage.

An option is that most colleges offer their students an insurance program. In most situation, students are required to be accepted and everyone pays the same rates (just like with employee based programs). So you would not be penalized for your previous health conditions.

Best wishes!!

Unfortunately, it is doubtful you will be able to get any individual policy. It will depend on your state laws but in my state every company will decline if you are currently being treated for Hodgkin’s. One company will consider you after being treatment free for 5 years and another will consider after 10 years. Visit a local agent that works with all of the major companies in your area to see what your options would be. There is no extra charge using an agent. Most likely you’ll need to stay on your dad’s plan until you graduate from school. At that time you’ll need to find employement with a company that provides benefits.

Source(s): Independent Agent

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Take Chris’s advice and you might want to consider just paying your parents to stay on the plan. That would be more prudent.