It's hard to get health insurance in the state of Oregon. I've had a number of clients in my office learn this the hard way, so I thought I'd take a few lines to educate all of you, and prepare you for the process of obtaining coverage.
Many of us have a health history, whether it's asthma as a kid, athletic injuries, or migraine headaches. In some cases, these conditions have proved to be expensive, requiring drugs or surgery or physical therapy.
In most states, if you've got a "condition", they will still give you a health policy, but will issue with it at an increased premium(surcharge or with an "exclusion". For example, if someone has a recent history of high blood pressure, they might issue with a premium that is 25% higher than standard. Or, if someone had recently broken an arm, they might exclude the arm for 18 months, but cover everything else.
Unfortunately, our legislators many years ago, restricted health insurance companies from imposing rate surcharges or doing exclusions. So, now insurance companies are limited to a thumbs up or thumbs down decision. Fortunately, the state of Oregon does limit the lookback period to 5 years- anything earlier than that you don't have to divulge.
So what if you get declined? Well, fortunately their is a state safety net called OMIP or Oregon Medical Insurance Pool. It is a high risk pool that provides coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield and insures people that cannot get coverage through a conventional insurance company. The costs are a little higher, but it is a reasonable fall-back.
Having said all that, whenever you're talking about any kind of insurance, it's always helpful to have an experienced agent helping you navigate the process. That will help ensure the best possible outcome.
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