I Need Health Insurance!

In continuing the previous discussion, another point Chris from our Forums raised is concerning health insurance. He disclosed, “I am currently self-employed and I have no health insurance. I've wanted to get insurance but now that I'm going to need mental health care. I want to get something suitable. I understand if the insurance companies knew I was bipolar, they would not pick me up or it would be expensive.”

Health insurance, particularly for mental health coverage, is a sticky wicket from any perspective. For more than twelve years, mental health parity – the requirement for health insurance to cover mental illnesses at the same levels as physical illnesses – has been a topic of political discussion. Many states have enacted their own state laws requiring parity and in October 2008, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was enacted into law by President Bush. This is the closest to actual parity that federal law has mandated to date; however, it is not fully in force until January 2010 and even then with some caveats. So even if you have health insurance, you may have limited coverage for psychiatric hospitalizations, psychologist visits or even prescriptions.

If you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, or any illness, you will need to pay attention to “continuous health insurance” clauses. These clauses in health insurance contracts hold that if you’ve had a period (usually defined as more than thirty days though they can be shorter) in which you’ve not had continuous health insurance then any condition with which you’ve been previously diagnosed is considered pre-existing and not covered. If you are going to lose health care coverage, it may actually be worth the rather pricey premiums to maintain COBRA insurance.

If you are trying to acquire insurance, as is our friend Chris, there are a couple of options. Kelly Montgomery, the About.com Guide to Health Insurance, offers some advice for how to get started on your search for health insurance coverage. “You may be able to buy a policy as an individual. Individual coverage is harder to obtain, more expensive, and less consumer-friendly than job-based coverage, but it is better than not having insurance at all.”

And here is another option I just learned about from Kelly, High Risk Pools. “Currently, 31 states operate high risk pools, which are designed as a safety net for those people whose health condition makes it difficult or impossible for them to buy a health insurance policy.”