FAQ
A: Coverage for most companies doesn't start until the 1st or 15th of the month. And usually you have to apply at least 5 to 15 days prior to the start date. If you need immediate coverage, we recommend that you get
Short-Term Insurance for one month, since Short-Term Insurance can start immediately. Then apply for your permanent Individual Insurance with an effective date to start at least 1 month from now.
A: Short-Term Insurance might be perfect for you. It is quite a bit less expensive than permanent insurance, however it does have limitations. Some of the limitations of Short Term insurance are that they do not cover any pre-existing conditions and do not have doctor and prescription copays. You have to meet your deductible before it will pay anything. However it is a good economical way to protect yourself from any catastrophic illness or accident for those months in between jobs. The positive is that if you qualify you can get approved right away. Celtic & Assurant offer short term insurance, but only Assurant allows you to pay month-to-month and cancel anytime. BCBSNC and Celtic require that you select the number of months of coverage you want up front and also pay for all those months up front. They will not reimburse you for any unused months. For example if you bought 6 months of coverage, but then found a job after 2 months then you would have paid for 4 months of coverage that you did not use. That is why Assurant is the most popular short term insurance we sell. If you are going to be out of work for more than 6 months, then you might want to consider a permanent individual insurance policy
A: All the companies will consider you to be a smoker until you have quit smoking for 12 months.
A: Be honest and answer the application truthfully and to the best of your knowledge. However do not self-diagnose and do not include more information on the application than you have to. For example, everybody gets headaches. This does not mean that you have to put on the application that you have chronic headaches. Only put down that you have chronic headaches/migraines if you have sought treatment from a doctor and have been diagnosed with chronic headaches/migraines. Season allergies is another common health condition and many people take over the counter medication like for their seasonal allergies. However, only put down seasonal allergies on the application if you have been diagnosed by a doctor with seasonal allergies and/or take prescription medication for the condition. Do not lie on the application to get better rates. If you lie on the application then the insurance company can cancel your policy at anytime after they learn of your lie. Therefore you truly do not have insurance. For example, lets say you have cancer and lie about it on the application therefore the insurance company accepts you at their best rates. Then 2 years later you have to have an organ transplant. The first thing they are going to do is double-check your application for fraud (some insurance companies will hire investigators to really check out your medical history). Even though it is not related at all to the cancer that you lied about, they can come back and deny all claims, cancel your insurance and refund your premiums paid because you lied. It is better to be honest when you are applying so that you will not have any problems in the future. You would rather be rated/ridered/declined now than later when you really need the insurance.
A: COBRA is not an insurance company. COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act ) is an act that Congress passed in 1986 and provides continuation of group health coverage that otherwise would be terminated. Basically you can purchase the insurance you currently have through work for up to 18 months after you have left the company. You will be charged the same rate that your company was paying for you. Depending on your age and health condition COBRA may be more or less than individual insurance. In general, if you are in good health it is usually cheaper to get an individual insurance policy. DO NOT cancel COBRA coverage until you have been approved by an individual insurance company.
A: No. North Carolina Law prohibits a company from singling you out for cancellation or rate increase. So lets say you are healthy now, but 2 years from now you develop cancer. Then the insurance company cannot cancel you and they can only raise your rates like they raise everybody else's rate in your age category in your part of North Carolina.
A: You are getting confused between pre-existing conditions, and riders/waivers. Although their definitions sound very similar they are not the same. The big difference is that pre-existing conditions in a policy are temporary, no longer than 12 months long, and can be all together eliminated if you have had 12 months of prior health insurance coverage without a lapse of more than 63 days. A rider/waiver is permanent and will not be eliminated by having prior coverage. If an individual insurance company thinks you have a higher than average risk for a certain condition than they may put a permanent rider/waiver on that condition. Meaning that you will be covered for everything except for that condition. If you do not want to be ridered/waivered, then select a company that does not rider/waiver individuals. Only BCBSNC & Wellpath do not rider/waiver individuals. That is why we recommend you apply with those 2 companies first.