Pre Existing Conditions and How They Affect Your Health
Friday, June 4th, 2010 by adminWhen you contact your insurance agent to obtain health insurance quotes, he or she will ask you a series of questions regarding your medical history as well as your current health status. They do this in order to establish how much of a risk you pose to the insurance company. Insurance is based on risk, so insurance companies prefer to insure someone who is less likely to file a claim. Medical insurance underwriters will review the information that you provide in a medical questionnaire in order to determine the premiums that they will charge you.
A medical questionnaire will ask you about the medical history of you and your family. This includes asking questions about cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, and other chronic conditions. They will also check your pulse, heart rate, cholesterol levels, and your height and weight. This is all done in order to determine the chances of you becoming ill or contracting a serious medical condition. Medical underwriters also check if you have any pre existing conditions. A pre existing condition is a medical condition that is in existence prior to the issuance of a health insurance policy.
If a person does have a pre existing medical condition, the insurance company can handle this in one of several ways, depending on the severity of the condition and the length of time the patient has been affected. In very serious cases, the insurance company may flat out decline insurance, deeming the applicant to be too high a risk. Sometimes, they insurance company will exclude the specific condition but will cover any other medical issue that may arise. This exclusion may be for a set period of time, perhaps 6 or 12 months, or it may be indefinite. They may decide to provide you with health insurance coverage, but will charge you a much higher premium. Medical conditions that are considered to be pre-existing conditions differ from insurance company to insurance company. You can discuss all of these options when you compare pre existing condition quotes.
If you have a pre existing condition and are looking to purchase insurance, you should consider shopping around for health insurance quotes. Different insurance companies may offer different coverage and different plans that will suit your needs. Always be up-front and honest when you apply for insurance. If you leave out any pertinent medical information, you could be denied coverage if you file a claim in the future. Insurance companies always investigate health insurance claims by reviewing physician and hospital records. If they discover that you had an undisclosed pre existing condition, they could deny your claim. Check the different options available with pre existing condition quotes.

