Not every American has health coverage, and not every American can afford to purchase health insurance. In some cases, it is simply a matter of income or availability, and in some cases, it is due to a pre-existing condition or long-term illness. In these cases, many citizens will be turned down by private insurers for health coverage because they represent too great a risk to insure. There will be situations where those with conditions or health issues will be offered coverage, but at a far greater premium rate than other clients, and often with longer waiting times for coverage and higher deductibles. As a result, several states have created what are known as a high risk pool for medical insurance, designed to help those with ongoing or pre-existing medical problems.

The current federal government administration has fought hard to expand this program, and as of the middle of 2010, all states in the Union now have a high risk pool insurance program. Twenty-one of these programs are administered by the federal government, and the remaining ones are administered by the states themselves. They are only available by application and must be from those individuals who have been without health insurance for at least six months and have been denied coverage by a private insurer. Generally, the applicant to a high risk pool plan will be required to provide a letter stating denial for general health coverage or for the coverage of a specific condition. Applicants may also be eligible if they can show that the premiums they were going to be charged would be substantially more than they could afford or than the high risk pool was going to charge.

Make no mistake-this plan is not free; those enrolled in it will have to pay, and it is envisioned as a stop-gap measure until 2014, when legislation will force all insurance companies to accept clients regardless of their medical history. Until then, the function of the high risk pool plan is to act as a standard health care plan and pay a portion of all typical services-check-ups, ambulance rides, and hospital costs-for the insured. The only difference between it and a private insurer is that the level of coverage offered cannot be chosen or adjusted. It is meant only for those who cannot find other coverage, not as an alternative to private insurers because of a better deal.

Although high risk pool insurance is not a perfect measure, it offers some sense of security to those that find themselves suffering with a pre-existing or chronic condition but cannot find viable health insurance and cannot afford to pay what a private insurer demands.