Many states have local laws in effect, and in October 2008, President Bush enacted the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This states that health insurance companies are required to cover mental health conditions at the same level as physical ailments. Obtaining health insurance to cover any mental health condition, such as bipolar disorder, is problematic at best, impossible at worst. For more than a decade, the mental health parity has been a topic of debate. As it stands, you probably have limited coverage for your bipolar disorder needs, which is a very frustrating situation.
There are a few viable options available to people who fall within this category and are searching for health insurance companies to cover them and their mental condition. If you have had a period of time, usually 30 days, without medical insurance coverage, then any diagnosis including bipolar disorder will be considered pre-existing and will not be covered. The particular part of a health insurance policy you will need to pay attention to is the “continuous health insurance” clause.
Professional help and medications are almost always needed to stabilize someone suffering from bipolar disorder. The beginning of an episode for someone suffering from bipolar disorder usually begins with a period of mania. This mania often gathers momentum and becomes worse as time progresses. Because bipolar disorder is so extreme, it really is a family disease rather than just an individual one. The individual suffers the most, probably, but still, the whole family suffers along with the afflicted individual. This is not something to ignore because if you ignore it, it can get worse.
First, you may have options available to you in the form of individual health insurance. This is your only option if you are self-employed and may be the only option if your conditions cannot be covered by job-based insurance. Individual coverage may be more expensive, but you may have the choice to customize your coverage if you can convince the insurance company to cover you despite your diagnosis of bipolar disorder. You may be able to get coverage for some elements, but it may be impossible to have your medications covered if your disorder is classified as a pre-existing condition.
High-risk pools cannot deny you, even if you have pre-existing bipolar disorder, but they can certainly choose to charge you more. Insurance companies will also take things like your age, gender, smoking status and state in which you reside into consideration when they establish the premiums you will be charged. To get coverage in this way, you will undoubtedly be expected to pay more than with traditional health insurance because high-risk pools are expensive to maintain. The other option is to look into high-risk pools. 35 states operate these, which are designed to provide a safety net for people whose current health conditions prevent them from obtaining health insurance coverage.
Sean L Johnson is a journalist for Health Insurance Buyer a referral service that connects consumers to the insurance carriers that can best fit their wants or special needs. Click on link to obtain your free instant quote for Health Insurance, even with Pre-Existing Conditions
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