In Alabama, as in many other states, your health insurance options are somewhat dependent on your health plans and the laws that govern them. Some ways that these laws protect you are as follows:

• Group Health Plan
     Coverage under your group health plan cannot be denied or limited, nor can you be required to pay more, because of your health status. Even if you are sick, these laws and guidelines are still protect you, but will be specific state-by-state. The principle here is known as nondiscrimination.
• All individual and group health plans in Alabama must limit exclusion of pre-existing conditions.
     In Alabama there are rules about what counts as a pre-existing condition and how long you must wait before a new group health plan will begin to pay for care for that condition. Additionally, if you join a new group health plan, generally your old coverage will be credited toward the pre-existing condition exclusion perion. You have to meet very specific conditions, including, not having a long break in prior coverage.
• Your health insurance cannot be conceled because you get sick.
     Most health insurance is guaranteed renewable.
• If you happen to leave your job and employer coverage, you may ba able to remain in your old group health plan for a certain length of time.
     This is known as CORBA coverage. This coverage can help when you are between jobs or waiting for a new health plan to cover your pre-existing condition. Additionally, there are limits on what you can be charged for this coverage.
• If you lose your group health insurance and meet other qualifications, you will be federally eligible.
     In Alabama, you could qualify to buy an individual health plan from the Alabama Health Insurance Plan. You will not face a new pre-existing condition exclusion period. There are limits on what you can be charged for an Alabama Health Insurance Plan policy.
• All health plans for small employers must be sold on a guaranteed issue basis.
     If you are a small employer buying a group health plan, you cannot be turned down because of the health status, age, or any factor that might predict the use of health services of those in your group.
• Charges for small employers buying a group health plan.
  If you are a small employer buying a group health plan, there are limits on what you can be charged due to the health status, age, gender, or family composition of those in your group.
• If you have a low or modest household income, you may be eligible for free or subsidized health coverage for yourself or members of your family.
     The Alabama Medicaid program offers free health coverage for pregnant women, families with children, elderly and disabled individuals with very low incomes. The All Kids health insurance program offers free or subsidized health coverage for uninsured children.
  
  

  How do These Laws Not Protect You.

     As important as these protection based laws are, the federal and state health insurance reforms are limited.
  
• If you change jobs, you usually cannot take your old health benefits with you.
     Typically, you are not entitled to take your actual group health coverage with you when you leave a job, except when you exercise your federal CORBA rights. Furthermore, your new health plan may not cover all of the benefits or the same doctors that your old plan did.
• If you change jobs, your new employer may not offer you health benefits.
     Employers are required only to make sure that their decision is based on factors unrelated to your health status.
• HMOs can require affilitation periods.
     If you get a new job with health benefits, your coverage may not start right away. Employers can require waiting periods before your healht benefits begin.
• Breaks in Health Coverage.
     If you have a break in coverage of 63 day or more, you may have to satisfy a new pre-existing condition exclusion period when you join a new group health plan.
• If you coverage is continuous, there still may be pre-existing conditions exclusion period for some benefits if you join a Group Health Plan that covers benefits you old plan did not.
     For example, say you move from a group plan that does not cover prescription drugs to one that does. You may have to wait up to one year before your new health plan will pay for drugs prescribed to treat a pre-existing condition.
• In Alabama, your access to individual health insurance may depend on your health status.
     Private insurers are not prohibited from turning you down, charging more, or limiting coverage because of pre-existing conditions. If you are federally eligible, the Alabama Health Insurance Plan is your only guaranteed access to individual health insurance. You may be able to buy individual health insurance from other insurance companies.
  
  
• If you are looking for some more information regarding policy rates then you can continue your research by visiting the following convenient link.
  
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