So what do you think the answer is?

[Bandit]

How long can you have your insurance before you can start doing xrays & blood tests and file them as claims?

One month?
six months?

Immediately?
(not changing the subject here but I would like to get some things checked out soon & I do not want to hear pre exisiting condition)

I know with dental they make you wait 6 months if you want to do certain things like a root canal, but it is different with medical. Any advice on that would be much appreciated.

[erinb1975]

Bandit,

Not sure....all insurances are different in regards to pre-existing condition clauses. I would call your insurer and ask...or if you don't have one already, call around before you choose one. If you have no preexisting conditions, then you should be able to use the services immediately.

[Bandit]

Bandit,

Not sure....all insurances are different in regards to pre-existing condition clauses. I would call your insurer and ask...or if you don't have one already, call around before you choose one. If you have no preexisting conditions, then you should be able to use the services immediately.

Someone told me there is a center where insurance obtains all your medical records and they are stored there forever. Much like the credit report & score. then when someone wants insurance or they want to insure you, they go there & obtain all your medical records.

erinb1975, Do you know if that is true?

If that is true I would think that is enough for a pre existing condition. I just got my package & papers & they asked me to sign one more thing, it reads:
Do you have any illness or have you consulted with a Doctor for any illness from the date you applied to the date of your Signature...My answer is NO-then I sign.

IT stands to reason that if you have a pre existing condition it would have to be on record in a vault somewhere & diagnosed as such or within th etime frame you applied & they insure you.(?) They would never approve me if I had one. But I have been conditionally approved & they are just waiting for that recent signature to approve me. This is BC/BS.

I have nothing serious that I know of but I want to have a whole bunch of tests run & this is what I am afraid they will find something & then Insurance will cancel me.

I hate me life. I am so sick of the worrying all the time & crap.

[JollyGG]

Someone told me there is a center where insurance obtains all your medical records and they are stored there forever. Much like the credit report & score. then when someone wants insurance or they want to insure you, they go there & obtain all your medical records.

erinb1975, Do you know if that is true?

If it is true it is in violation of HIPAA http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/. When you are at your doctors office and give them your insurance information you sign giving them permission to share information with your insurance company. The only people who should ever get your medical information should have written permision from you to do so. If you ever discover someone has gotten your medical information without your permission they should be reported immediately and a lawsuit is likely.

Check you policy to see what their deffinition of a preexisting condition is. In many cases it is any problem you have recieved treatment for in the past six months. But different policies have different deffinitions. Legally there are also certain conditions that cannot be excluded based on prexisting condition clauses. So check your state laws.

[erinb1975]

I second Jolly.....I have worked in health care for over 10 years and know of no such place. The only people that have access to your records are you and the health professionals you give permission to do so.

Chances are you would know if you had some sort of pre-existing condition...diabetes, heart disease, cancer are the biggies. If you don't know or aren't sure, then you probably don't. Check with your insurance company though.

[Bandit]

If it is true it is in violation of HIPAA http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/. When you are at your doctors office and give them your insurance information you sign giving them permission to share information with your insurance company. The only people who should ever get your medical information should have written permision from you to do so. If you ever discover someone has gotten your medical information without your permission they should be reported immediately and a lawsuit is likely.

Check you policy to see what their deffinition of a preexisting condition is. In many cases it is any problem you have recieved treatment for in the past six months. But different policies have different deffinitions. Legally there are also certain conditions that cannot be excluded based on prexisting condition clauses. So check your state laws.

I second Jolly.....I have worked in health care for over 10 years and know of no such place. The only people that have access to your records are you and the health professionals you give permission to do so.

Chances are you would know if you had some sort of pre-existing condition...diabetes, heart disease, cancer are the biggies. If you don't know or aren't sure, then you probably don't. Check with your insurance company though.

I do understand what both of you are saying. Thanks for the legal perspective as well. I am still not sure I have it all figured out yet.

So, what do you think Blue Cross means when they say WE WILL PAY TO OBTAIN ALL YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS. (?)
That is what was in the papers.

Here is an example of what I am worried about. I fell on my face last July as you know, broke my jaw & six teeth. That is all healed back now. But! what if something else happened from that fall that does not show up for another year? Say I end up with some kind of delayed trauma or brain problem that can be proven was from the fall. (this is just an example)

Will it be going to go back to that fall & be preexisting? NOw I have no insurance?


The other thing is this...Maybe what they mean by we will pay to obtain your medical records, could that mean only what records the insurance has to make claims for from the time my policy starts?

Otherwise, I do not see how much of anything can be preexisiting from the insurance POV, (except for things that have already been diagnosed like cancer, diabetes, etc.) without having all of your medical records from the time you were born. This is the part that is confusing.

Am I making sense?

[MajorMike]

I'm thankful I work for a great company and pay almost nothing for healthcare. It was MY choice to go after a big company. I could have taken any position at any time, but did my homework.
I'd pay $300 a month for good healthcare then get free shitty healthcare.

[Bandit]

I'd pay $300 a month for good healthcare then get free shitty healthcare.

That wont buy good healthcare. It will buy something down the middle but not what I would call good. I am paying $300 a month & that will keep me out of a BK for a couple of years if something big happens but not if I am disabled and cannot work, then I have nothing. This is the part that gets me worked up.

Whenever I worked for companies that offer insurance the first thing I did was sign up for it so I would be insured on the 90th day of employment & I used it every time. This time I had nothing & it really did me in.

You will pay more like $400 a month (maybe even a little more) if you want good health insurance. Very few people can put that kind of money up for themselves & definatley not for the family members as well.

[JollyGG]

I do understand what both of you are saying. Thanks for the legal perspective as well. I am still not sure I have it all figured out yet.

So, what do you think Blue Cross means when they say WE WILL PAY TO OBTAIN ALL YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS. (?)
That is what was in the papers.

Here is an example of what I am worried about. I fell on my face last July as you know, broke my jaw & six teeth. That is all healed back now. But! what if something else happened from that fall that does not show up for another year? Say I end up with some kind of delayed trauma or brain problem that can be proven was from the fall. (this is just an example)

Will it be going to go back to that fall & be preexisting? NOw I have no insurance?


The other thing is this...Maybe what they mean by we will pay to obtain your medical records, could that mean only what records the insurance has to make claims for from the time my policy starts?

Otherwise, I do not see how much of anything can be preexisiting from the insurance POV, (except for things that have already been diagnosed like cancer, diabetes, etc.) without having all of your medical records from the time you were born. This is the part that is confusing.

Am I making sense?

Some hospitals and clinics charge a fee to fax or copy your records. This is the only thing I can think of. I have never seen a preexisting condition clause that could include something you aren't aware of and have never been treated for. Usually it included anything you have been treated for for a set period of time. For example a friend of mine has back problems. She knows she has back problems. So she waited six month to seek treatment to avoid the preexisting condition clause. She was good to go.

Also I'm not saying that no such database exists. I'm just saying that if it does exist it is illegal.

[Dirk Squarejaw]

I pay $19.15/pay period (26 pays per year) for Anthem Blue/Cross Blue Shield. I don't know how you would rate it, but it has served me well. In the last 9yrs, I've paid $24/mo for acid reflux medication (Prevacid, Protonix, etc.) and $156 for an upper GI in '05. My ex-wife had multiple procedures done to find/remove pre-cancerous cels on her cervix and it was all covered.

If I had to pay $300+ per month for "OK" insurance, I'd probably find a nice cliff and just drive right off. With that said, I also don't care for the idea of government health care. People constantly make poor health choices and I don't feel like paying for Joe Blow's cancer treatments because he smoked for 37yrs or for Jane Doe's multiple bypass surgerys because she loves McDonalds double QuarterPounders and has a steady exercise regimine of moving her mouse while playing WOW.

[Bandit]

I pay $19.15/pay period (26 pays per year) for Anthem Blue/Cross Blue Shield. I don't know how you would rate it, but it has served me well. In the last 9yrs, I've paid $24/mo for acid reflux medication (Prevacid, Protonix, etc.) and $156 for an upper GI in '05. My ex-wife had multiple procedures done to find/remove pre-cancerous cels on her cervix and it was all covered.

If I had to pay $300+ per month for "OK" insurance, I'd probably find a nice cliff and just drive right off. With that said, I also don't care for the idea of government health care. People constantly make poor health choices and I don't feel like paying for Joe Blow's cancer treatments because he smoked for 37yrs or for Jane Doe's multiple bypass surgerys because she loves McDonalds double QuarterPounders and has a steady exercise regimine of moving her mouse while playing WOW.

Well you know I don't feel like paying for Joe Blows hundreds of thousands of dollars of heart surgery just because they were born with heart problems & has nothing to do with a health choice. You do not know tomorrow you could fall and the next thing you know you need to use 50,000 insurance & I dont feel like paying because dippy slippy refuses to shovel his sidewalk or throw some salt down then breaks his leg costing $50,000.00. And I also do not feel like paying because ricky dicky needs both legs amputated from a yachting accident because he does not pay attention.

We could sit here & blame the alcoholics, the drug addicts, prostitutes with disease & the people who buy them, & on & on & on...

I pay 300. a month. It has a $500 deductible, 80/20 for most things & 50/50 for some things, plus 3,000 a year max out of pocket. $30 copayments, $10 generic scripts...that to me is not good insurance. If I were to use all it offers in one year I would still be out over 10,000 & in debt in just one year for 10,000 just for the basics that includes the premium. OK FINE- that is way better than being out 50,000 due to one accident.

if someone else smokes you do not get charged for that, they do & they pay extra for insurance, not you.
It does not matter how healthy choice you think you are when a bus runs you over, why should I pay for you not looking both ways? There are no guarantees and that is why it is called insurance.

I pay $19.15/pay period (26 pays per year) for Anthem Blue/Cross Blue Shield.

There is no medical insurance plan for 19.15 a month unless your employer is picking up the rest so I hope you do not have any real problems because don't expect any coverage for that price. You might get reimbursed for 200.00 a night if you are ever in the hospital on a $20,000 per night bill. What is your deductible? 50,000 a year?

[Bandit]

Some hospitals and clinics charge a fee to fax or copy your records. This is the only thing I can think of. I have never seen a preexisting condition clause that could include something you aren't aware of and have never been treated for. Usually it included anything you have been treated for for a set period of time. For example a friend of mine has back problems. She knows she has back problems. So she waited six month to seek treatment to avoid the preexisting condition clause. She was good to go.

Also I'm not saying that no such database exists. I'm just saying that if it does exist it is illegal.

I could wait six months but then if I do have anything serious (which I don't think I do-but just in case) I could end up bankrupt again if they cancel me so I was hoping to find out everything sooner because I doubt I can wait that long to get my attorney.

Maybe they charge for faxing & that is why they say they will pay that fee.
I am between getting insured and a BK so that is why I have all these questions and want to do things the best way, but it may not work out for me.

[JollyGG]

With that said, I also don't care for the idea of government health care. People constantly make poor health choices and I don't feel like paying for Joe Blow's cancer treatments because he smoked for 37yrs or for Jane Doe's multiple bypass surgerys because she loves McDonalds double QuarterPounders and has a steady exercise regimine of moving her mouse while playing WOW.

Here's the thing. You already pay for it. If Joe Blow or Jane Doe is on medicare or medicade or VA benifits you pay for it. If cancer makes it impossible for Joe Blow and Jane Doe to work and pay their bills well then the hospital raises costs on everyone else to cover their overhead for their losses. If Joe Blow and Jane Doe declare bankruptcy the hospital increases costs to cover overhead and so does everyone else these two owed money too. If Joe Blow or Jane Doe are on the same insurance plan as you your premiums increase and your benifits decrease because of insurance paying for part of their treatment.

About the only way you avoid paying for Joe Blow and Jane Doe's treatments in this case is if Joe Blow or Jane Doe is independently wealthy. And if either were independently wealthy they would have had the money to seek treatment early and the costs would probably be low enough so as not to really be an issue for you, me, Joe Blow or Jane Doe.

[AMISLANDER]

Bandit!!!!

I pay $19.15/pay period (26 pays per year) for Anthem Blue/Cross Blue Shield. I don't know how you would rate it, but it has served me well. In the last 9yrs, I've paid $24/mo for acid reflux medication (Prevacid, Protonix, etc.) and $156 for an upper GI in '05. My ex-wife had multiple procedures done to find/remove pre-cancerous cels on her cervix and it was all covered.

If I had to pay $300+ per month for "OK" insurance, I'd probably find a nice cliff and just drive right off. With that said, I also don't care for the idea of government health care. People constantly make poor health choices and I don't feel like paying for Joe Blow's cancer treatments because he smoked for 37yrs or for Jane Doe's multiple bypass surgerys because she loves McDonalds double QuarterPounders and has a steady exercise regimine of moving her mouse while playing WOW.

I pay $50/mo. which is two pay periods and I have Aetna, PPO. My employer picks up the rest. This is for single coverage only. God only knows what it will cover if I really need to "make use" of it....you know how "they" change things to fit their needs when it really comes down to it.....

I think family, (through my work) which is two parents, one child, is $350/month.....I find that totally expensive, especially if you only make $10/hour......which is what they start a lot of people at in my field....

However, and this is where it really gets weird, when my xhusband & I moved to FL back in 1991, we were paying $800/month for the two of us, because prenatal was included in that....he's a physician so it wasn't an issue, but no working family could afford that kind of insurance bill.....especially when it seems like half the people coming into the ER had no insurance back then....EEKS!!!

I think the whole insurance industry is a total scam.

[Bandit]

Here's the thing. You already pay for it. If Joe Blow or Jane Doe is on medicare or medicade or VA benifits you pay for it. If cancer makes it impossible for Joe Blow and Jane Doe to work and pay their bills well then the hospital raises costs on everyone else to cover their overhead for their losses. If Joe Blow and Jane Doe declare bankruptcy the hospital increases costs to cover overhead and so does everyone else these two owed money too. If Joe Blow or Jane Doe are on the same insurance plan as you your premiums increase and your benifits decrease because of insurance paying for part of their treatment.

About the only way you avoid paying for Joe Blow and Jane Doe's treatments in this case is if Joe Blow or Jane Doe is independently wealthy. And if either were independently wealthy they would have had the money to seek treatment early and the costs would probably be low enough so as not to really be an issue for you, me, Joe Blow or Jane Doe.

That is a good explanation because it all goes into the same pile. Some people who think they for sure will use it never do need it. Some of the others who think they will never use it, end up using a lot. That is just the way insurance is & no one can predict it.

All insurance works the same wether it be home, auto, health, with the exception of life insurance policies. It would be nice if there was something to make sure all the babies will be born with insurance and what an awful life when children really need it but don't have it.