Most individual and family health insurance policies limit coverage for pre-existing conditions during the first nine to twelve months of coverage. However, the pre-existing condition exclusion period is waived to the extent that the applicant has "qualifying" prior group coverage. This is a government-mandated requirement, though the health insurance company can still deny the application of someone whose health does not meet the insurance company's underwriting requirements.

U.S. STUDENTS ONLY: All U.S. students should provide to our office evidence of medical insurance valid in England by sending us a photocopy of your insurance card showing the dates you are covered. We recommend the International Student ID Card, which costs about $25.00. It provides some medical and travel insurance and student discounts. International Student ID cards can be obtained from STA Travel or call 1-858-544-9632 or 1-800-226-8624 or at the USD UC Box Office.

Alcoholism and drug abuse are usually two conditions that most insurance companies will turn you down for. Others include heart attack or other heart problems within the past five years or so, most companies will not take you if you are diabetic. Many companies will not accept you if you've had certain types of cancer EVER in your life, while other insurance companies won't care if the cancer was more than 20 years in the past.

All students are strongly encouraged to have adequate health and accident insurance and carry health insurance identification cards at all times to expedite any medical treatment. A student health insurance plan is available to all UTSA students. For information on coverage, costs, and applications contact Student Resources online at www.studentresources.com, or by calling 1-800-767-0700. The health policy can be purchased by the semester or annually.

Under current rules no tax will be deducted from any payment made as a result of claims from serious illness cover. Depending on individual circumstances, some life insurance claims may be subject to inheritance tax.

Most employers report pre-taxed contributions, which are tax-deferred. Your Annual Statement will indicate the amount of your pre-taxed contributions as well any amount of post-taxed contributions. Post-taxed contributions have already been taxed.

When declining health insurance you are stating that you have health coverage through another source. As long as there is no 63-day break in coverage in the last 12 months prior to requesting to elect coverage, no pre-existing condition will be applied.

A pre-existing condition is a medical condition that required treatment or treatment was recommended before the effective date of the insurance plan. A lot of plans will have a pre-existing condition clause, which will exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions for up to a year.

Once coverage begins under any given health plan, any claims filed by you may be investigated as a possible pre-existing condition. Depending on state law, insurers can look back months or even years to see if the condition existed before your enrollment. If evidence is found, insurers can deny any claims or benefit coverage for that condition and all care/treatment related to it. However, only in the case of HIPAA compliant insurers, the maximum look back period is six months.

The best way to obtain health insurance is by contacting local area health insurance agents. They can look for ways to get you the most protection at an affordable cost. Agents and companies are listed alphabetically and by location in the yellow pages of your telephone directory. Insurance premiums can vary substantially from company to company so it usually pays to check with several companies before making a final choice.

The Wisconsin Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan (HIRSP) offers health insurance to Wisconsin residents who, due to their medical conditions, are unable to find adequate health insurance coverage in the private market. Information on HIRSP may be obtained by contacting:

BadgerCare is Wisconsin's program to assist lower income, working families obtain health insurance at a reasonable price. To be eligible for BadgerCare, you must meet all of the following criteria: you must have children under age 19 living with you; your income must be within the guideline limits; and you must not be covered by any other health insurance. BadgerCare provides a comprehensive health benefit package.

with any major purchase, it is wise to shop around to make sure you are getting the most for your money. Make sure you find the insurance product that best fits your needs. There are several ways you may be able to lower your premium including: paying a higher deductible and/or copayment; increasing your maximum out-of-pocket payment; reducing or dropping coverage for certain services. Be careful not to give up an essential benefit.

Illinois provides strong consumer protection. In general, the insurance company can terminate your coverage for only the following reasons: (1) failure to make premium payment within the payment grace period, (2) material omission or misrepresentation on your health insurance application, or (3) the insurance company entirely withdraws from the individual health insurance business in your state.

Short-term health insurance is designed to fill temporary gaps in your "permanent" health insurance coverage. These policies are relatively inexpensive and can go into effect very quickly. Most short-term plans last for no more than six months. You can purchase short-term health insurance coverage in one-month increments or in a single payment for one to six months of coverage. All short-term plans exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Pooling" is, in our opinion, the most fair approach to setting health insurance rates. A health insurance company operating under a pure "pooled" approach uses the same method in determining rates for both new and existing clients, regardless of the client's health status or claims history. In other words, insurance companies with "pooled" rates do not charge lower rates to entice new customers, while charging higher rates to long-time customers.

Health insurance trend is an annual percentage increase in health insurance claim costs. The two primary components of health insurance trend are (1) inflation of costs physicians and hospitals charge for health care services and (2) increases in the average utilization of these services.