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If you are searching for ways to lower your health insurance costs and you live in the State of Washington...We, here at HealthInsureCoverage.com, work hard to supply you with the information you need to make an informed decision regarding your health insurance needs and requirements.

• Here's a list of helpful terminology if you are researching to buy health insurance in the State of Washington:
  
  Affiliation Period.
      The time an HMO may require you to wait after you enroll and before your coverage begins. HMOs that require an affiliation period cannot exclude coverage of pre-existing conditions. Premiums cannot be charged during HMO affiliation periods. See also HMO.
  Certificate of Creditable Coverage.
      A document provided by your health plan that lets you prove you had coverage under that plan. Certificates of creditable coverage will usually be provided automatically when you leave a health plan. You can obtain certificates at other times as well. See also Creditable Coverage.
  COBRA.
      Stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, a federal law in effect since 1986. COBRA permits you and your dependents to continue in your employer’s group health plan after your job ends. If your employer has 20 or more employees, you may be eligible for COBRA continuation coverage when you retire, quit, are fired, or work reduced hours. Continuation coverage also extends to surviving, divorced or separated spouses; dependent children; and children who lose their dependent status under their parent’s plan rules. You may choose to continue in the group health plan for a limited time and pay the full premium (including the share your employer used to pay on your behalf). COBRA continuation coverage generally lasts 18 months, or 36 months for dependents in certain circumstances.
  Continuous Coverage.
      Health insurance coverage is continuous if it is not interrupted by a break of 63 or more consecutive days. Employer waiting periods and HMO affiliation periods do not count as gaps in health insurance coverage for the purpose of determining if coverage is continuous. See also Creditable Coverage, Federally Eligible, Fully Insured Group Health Plan, Individual Health Plan, Self-Insured Group Health Plan.
  Conversion Policy.
      If you are self-employed with no other workers, you are not eligible to buy a group health plan on your own (though you may be able to join another group health plan through a family member). Therefore, the laws that protect employers' access to group health plans do not apply to you. Your access to health insurance is protected by the laws that apply to individuals.
  Creditable Coverage.
      Health insurance coverage under any of the following: a group health plan; an individual health plan; Medicare; Medicaid; CHAMPUS and TRICARE (health coverage for military personnel, retirees, and dependents); the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; Indian Health Service; the Peace Corps; or a state health insurance high risk pool. See also Continuous Coverage, Group Health Plan, Individual Health Plan.
  Enrollment Period.
      The period during which all employees and their dependents can sign up for coverage under an employer group health plan. Besides permitting workers to elect health benefits when first hired, many employers and group health insurers hold an annual enrollment period, during which all employees can enroll in or change their health coverage. See also Group Health Plan, Special Enrollment Period.
  Elimination Rider.
      A feature permitted in individual health plans that excludes coverage for a pre-existing condition. Unlike pre-existing condition exclusion periods, which can be no longer than 12 months, elimination riders can last indefinitely. Elimination riders cannot be imposed if you are federally eligible.
  Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
      A federal law that guarantees up to 12 weeks of job protected leave for certain employees when they need to take time off due to serious illness, to have or adopt a child, or to care for another family member. When you qualify for leave under FMLA, you can continue coverage under your group health plan.
  Federally Eligible.
      Status you attain once you have had 18 months of continuous creditable health coverage. To be federally eligible, you also must have used up any COBRA or state continuation coverage; you must not be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid; you must not have other health insurance; and you must apply for individual health insurance within 63 days of losing your prior creditable coverage. When you are buying individual health coverage, federal eligibility confers greater protections on you than you would otherwise have in West Virginia and in other states. See also COBRA, Continuous Coverage, Creditable Coverage, State Continuation Coverage.
  Fully Insured Group Health Plan.
      Health insurance purchased by an employer from an insurance company. Fully insured health plans are regulated by West Virginia. See also Self-Insured Group Health Plans.
  Genetic Information.
      Includes information about family history or genetic test results indicating your risk of developing a health condition. A health plan cannot consider pre-existing (and therefore exclude coverage for) a condition about which you have genetic information, unless that health condition has been diagnosed by a health professional.
  Group Health Plan.
      Health insurance (usually sponsored by an employer, union or professional association) that covers at least 2 employees. See also Fully Insured Group Health Plan, Self-Insured
  Group Health Planhttp://www.healthinsurecoverage.comGuaranteed Issue.
      A requirement that health plans must permit you to enroll regardless of your health status, age, gender, or other factors that might predict your use of health services. All health plans sold to West Virginia small employers with 2 to 50 employees are guaranteed issue. If you are federally eligible, insurance companies must offer you at least two individual health plans that are guaranteed issue. Plans that are guaranteed issue can turn you away for other reasons.
  Guaranteed Renewability.
      A feature in health plans that means your coverage cannot be canceled because you get sick. HIPAA requires all health plans to be guaranteed renewable. Your coverage can be canceled for other reasons unrelated to your health status.
  Health Insurance or Health Plan.
     In this guide, the term means benefits consisting of medical care (provided directly or through insurance or reimbursement) under any hospital or medical service policy, plan contract, or HMO contract offered by a health insurance company or a group health plan. It does not mean coverage that is limited to accident or disability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, liability insurance (including automobile insurance) for medical expenses, or coverage for on-site medical clinics. Health insurance also does not mean coverage for limited dental or vision benefits to the extent these are provided under a separate policy.
  Health Plan Year.
      That calendar period during which your health plan coverage is in effect. Many group health plan years begin on January 1, while others begin in a different month.
  Health Status.
     When used in this guide, refers to your medical condition (both physical and mental illnesses), claims experience, receipt of health care, medical history, genetic information, evidence of insurability (including conditions arising out of acts of domestic violence), and disability. See also Genetic Information.
  HIPAA.
     The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, sometimes known as Kassebaum-Kennedy, after the two senators who spearheaded the bill. Passed in 1996 to help people buy and keep health insurance, even when they have serious health conditions, the law sets a national floor for health insurance reforms. Since states can and have modified and expanded upon these provisions, consumers’ protections vary from state to state.
  HMO.
     Health maintenance organization. A kind of health insurance plan. HMOs usually limit coverage to care from doctors who work for or contract with the HMO. They generally do not require deductibles, but often do charge a small fee, called a copayment, for services like doctor visits or prescriptions. If you are covered under an HMO, the HMO might require an affiliation period before coverage begins. See also Affiliation Period.
  Individual Health Plan. Policies for people not connected to an employer group. Individual health plans are regulated by West Virginia.
     There is a ton of terminology to sort through when looking to buy any type of health insurance and it is wise to solicit the help of a qualified health insurance professional.

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