If you are looking for some health insurance plans and if you have any pre existing conditions, it could happen that your application is turned down or it could be more expensive to than normal health insurance. A pre existing condition is basically a health problem that already existed before you applied for health insurance.

People, who have had some kind of medical issues in the past, will soon realize that their health history makes it difficult to get health insurance. Every insurance company handles pre exiting conditions differently. For example, people who have had cancer, diabetes, heart attack or a stroke are likely to be denied health insurance. Other ailments like cystic fibrosis, fibromyalgia, heart problems, rheumatoid arthritis or serious mental disorder could also lead to health insurance being denied. If you have any pre-existing conditions, you may be declined health insurance or in some cases, the premium that you would have to pay would be high.

There are several reasons why applicants with pre existing conditions are turned down by insurance companies. The main reason is that if a person has an ongoing health problem that might recur, and if it does recur during the insurance period, then the insurance company is liable for all the costs. Hence, anyone with a serious condition is deemed as a high risk candidate by the insurance company.

Most health insurance policy applications will ask the applicant to list any conditions or health problems that they may have had, normally within a set time period. This period of time may be different for different insurance companies. In some cases, the applicant might be asked about specific ailments and conditions, in which case there may not be any questions about set time period.

If you have a pre existing condition and you are looking for health insurance, you do have a few options. For example, if the condition occurred many years back, look for health insurance plans with a shorter time period. If this doesn't work, you could look for specialist insurance that accepts pre existing conditions. Or, if you are over 50 years old, you could look for senior insurance plans. Some of these accept the fact that people may suffer from conditions as they get older.

If you have any pre existing condition, you might be denied insurance or offered a policy without coverage for the pre existing condition or given a policy with a higher premium. However, that does not mean you have to live the rest of your life without health insurance. You can find solace in the fact that there are many insurance companies that offer health insurance to people with pre existing conditions.