Help -- need health insurance!

[megancolleen]

So, I'm 21, recently graduated, and the insurance my parents had been taking care of for me (it's my own plan, but they'd been paying) is going to run out next month and because I'm not a student anymore, I can't renew it.

I have an amazing job that I love and is a great stepping stone for the career I want, but it's only 20 hours a week and does not offer benefits. I am looking for another part-time job, but in all likelhiood because it will be part time it will not offer benefits either. So I need to get my own plan. And I'm confused!

I've been doing some research and found that most plans will not cover you at least for a year if you have a pre-existing condition. My main question is this: does IC count as a pre-existing condition?? I have not been formally diagnosed, but I have been treated for and am being treated for (with medication) "pelvic pain." Would this count as a pre-existing condition?

Also, any advice about what to look for in a PPO plan would be appreciated!

[ICNDonna]

If you're being treated with pelvic pain, most if not all insurance companies will deny you coverage under the "pre-existing condition" clause.

If you are currently covered, I suggest you check into getting some kind of continuation policy through the same company.

Donna

[kadi]

When I graduated from college, the same thing happened with my policy. Ask if they have COBRA coverage (it's what Donna is suggesting). I was able to be on that for 18 months, which was long enough to get into a group plan through my job, by then I had a fulltime position in my career. Buying private insurance is hard with a preexisting condition, but group plans through employers usually do not deny coverage due to preexisting conditions...

For me, what I look for in a PPO is that
1.I can go to Stanford for treatment,
2.The deductible is reasonable (mine is $500),
3.It would cover me out of state or the country (I hope to be well enough again for international travel at some point),
4.I do not need referral to go to specialists.
5.It includes prescription coverage
6.It includes the option to see non-provider doctors (this is still not a good idea to do because the rates are much much higher, but it does get you more coverage in case that's all you can see.)
Hope that's helpful.

[kaytlyn]

Many insurance plans will cover pre-existing conditions IF you've had what they call "credible coverage" for a certain period of time. Basically they just mean that you've been continuously covered by a comparable health insurance plan for a certain length of time. You can't have been uninsured for more than 60~ish days or so.

The same thing essensially happened to me... got booted by my mom's insurance when I turned 22 and now I'm self-insured, with coverage for all pre-existing conditions only because by some stroke of luck I met their criteria. Best thing that ever happened to me because mom's insurance didn't pay for anything!