In order to get the best possible premiums on new health coverage, buyers often collect health insurance quotes from a variety of insurance providers. This makes it easy to compare rates and coverage, but it's important to note that a health insurance quote doesn't actually guarantee coverage. An insurance provider may change its rates or outright deny coverage to an applicant after issuing a quote, and although this only happens in very specific circumstances, buyers should understand how health insurance coverage can be denied when shopping for a policy.

Due to recent legislation, health coverage can't be denied unless there are inaccuracies on an application. Health insurance providers will often collect additional information after issuing a quote, and even after the quote has been accepted, they'll look into things like medical records to make sure that they're appropriately pricing a policy. If the health insurance company finds major inaccuracies that could affect the chances of a policy claim, they may be able to legally deny coverage. In most situations, the insurance company will simply ask for clarification to make sure that their information is correct. This might mean that they need exact info about medications and doctor's visits, for instance, or that other inaccurate data on a potential policy holder's application will need to be corrected before a policy can be issued. When an insurance company requests additional information, they may need to change a health insurance quote to reflect the updates, so it's common for a health insurance quote to increase after an insurance company finds out about preexisting conditions and other important data.

Most insurance companies won't deny a claim after they've issued a quote, but the distinction between a quote and guaranteed coverage is nonetheless important. Insurance premiums can change from the time that individual receives a quote to the time that the policy goes into effect. To minimize the chances of a claim denial and premium changes, policy buyers should try to be as accurate as possible when filling out forms for health insurance quotes. This will improve the chances of a clean transition into a new health insurance policy and lowers the possibility of complications in receiving benefits later on.

It's also important to avoid coverage lapses. Policy buyers shouldn't cancel their health insurance after receiving a good quote, of course, and they shouldn't even schedule a date for a policy to end. It's a far better idea to complete the application process in its entirety. A health insurance quote should simply be used as an accurate representation of what a company's rates, but never as a guarantee.