Since health insurance is a state run program and not a government sponsored program, the laws governing insurance and rates differ from state to state. With the rise in health insurance rates in the past 10 years, it's important to know the specifics of your state's health insurance laws. Understanding Iowa health insurance rules and regulations can help you better maneuver the often complex world of health insurance so that you can still find an affordable policy with plenty of coverage. Buying health insurance isn't as easy as it may have been because of the different rules that govern the industry, but the Internet has made it easier to search for inexpensive policies. There are three important facts you need to know about buying health insurance from an Iowa health insurance company.

Pre-Existing Clause - Iowa's Stance

Iowa has not yet adopted the pre-existing clause that many other states have with regards to health insurance. This is very important to know before you go searching for a policy. In the state of Iowa, an insurance company can deny you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition. Lying on the forms you fill out will only postpone the inevitable, so it's important you are upfront with the insurance agent. Coverage can actually be denied just for a pre-existing condition but for bad health as well. Insurance companies can set provisions in their policy detailing whether or not they cover the condition. If they do, understand that the insurance premium will be quite high.

Policy Cancellation in Iowa

Unlike the pre-existing condition clause, an insurance company can't deny coverage based on any health condition. If you have obtained a policy from an insurance company and subsequently contract a disease or illness, the insurance company must keep you on their policy. If the insurance company wishes to cancel your policy, they must do so for another, more valid reason, as the state of your health is not a valid reason. This may make up for the pre-existing condition clause, especially for people with a family history of illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.

Temporary Health Insurance

For qualifying individuals and families, the state of Iowa does have a policy in place that allows these individuals and families to get temporary health insurance. The same rules and regulations apply to temporary health insurance policies as they do for long term policies. However, renewal of the temporary health insurance policy can be denied by the insurance company at its discretion. So if your health declines during the time you are on the temporary policy, your coverage may be denied upon attempts to renew that policy.