It may be crazy (and I agree it is), but that is the way of things these days and has been for awhile in health care.
DH carried our family's health insurance through three jobs, with a six-month unemployment period between #2 and #3 where only DD had coverage through the state. Then he got a new job (#4 since becoming parents). We knew the new company would only cover DH's healthcare in full and not DD nor me at all. I applied for individual plans for DD and myself as soon as possible. DD was accepted and has had coverage her entire life. They took forever to deny me and we missed the window for DH to negotiate my healthcare into his new employment. (His salary, however, was SIGNIFICANTLY higher than job #3, so it didn't seem like such a big deal at the time.) I applied to nearly every carrier available to CA residents at that time. I was denied by all. The reasons:
~ Allergies and asthma
~ Torn meniscus
~ Angiomylopoma (sp?)
and something else I have forgotten.
The item I have forgotten and the torn meniscus were misdiagnoses and took quite a bit of money and work to get dropped off the list of reasons for denial. The allergies and asthma and angiomylopoma were issues for awhile. Once I stopped taking all prescriptions for allergies and asthma for "x" amount of time (18 months is ringing bells), those dropped off the reasons denied list.
As recent as Fall 2008, I was denied for angiomylopoma (benign tumor on kidney, considered very minor by Urologists). The irony is this was discovered completely on accident and has never caused one issue. I was monitored for six months and the tumor was checked again a year plus after discovery (new mom syndrome). Since there was no growth whatsoever, I was released from care and told I never need to be seen for it again. This is in my chart. No insurance company will touch me.
I have a friend who is an agent and he got the VP of a major carrier to agree to look at my case individually. The best he could offer was for me to go to a specialist (out of pocket), have the tumor checked again (out of pocket), and IF IT WAS GONE, then they would offer me a policy at a higher premium than the quoted price. If it had shrunk or stayed the same, then the premium would be even higher and they might not honor the agreement. If it had grown, all bets would be off. Meanwhile, that new information would then become part of my medical record and would further impact my chances of ever receiving healthcare insurance.
In the interim, however, another spouse and I lobbied the very small firm where our spouses work and got them to offer us the group plan. (We had both been without healthcare insurance for over a year.) It is 100% paid by us, but it is group coverage. They don't deny you for these types of things. It is quite a bit more expensive than individual coverage and we are at the mercy of the company in regards to the plan and costs, but it is coverage.
I had been told by several people in the healthcare industry that if I had group coverage for 18 months with no visits for the above issues, then I would be eligible for individual coverage again. It had been over two years when my friend went to the VP of the carrier he knew....
My advice, due to my experiences, is to secure healthcare insurance BEFORE you make any employment decisions that are tied to your healthcare choices. I have used ehealthinsurance.com for my DD's policies over the years. It is easy to get instant quotes and you can call to talk to someone. However, when it comes to finding insurance for more complicated situations, I recommend using an agent you can develop a relationship with in person. That personal touch can make such a difference. It didn't work out for me, but I worked with several local agents before meeting my friend and it was nice to hear the details behind the decisions and the experience of different carriers was also helpful. None of that occurs with ehealth nor when working directly with the carrier (online or on the phone). Different situations require different approaches, IMO. Good luck!
I've never heard of a company offering individual coverage before so it didn't click with me that was what she said. Honestly, it still sounds like continuing to work may be the best option so that health insurance is available.
