Health Insurance...Aak!

[ganzverwirrt]

Hello all! I'm new to the forum and much in need your assistance.
I started having seizures when I was a freshman in high school. However, now I'm a senior in college, and they have been controlled with medicine for several years.

Now that I'm graduating, I am no longer eligible for my parents' health insurance. My biggest concern is paying for medicine, which is way too expensive without help from insurance. However, this qualifies as a "preexisting condition."

I have tried applying to health insurance, but they will not cover any expenses related to the epilepsy. I will be trying a few others, but I don't foresee having any better luck. Any ideas for how to pay for medicine (much less doctor bills/EEGs) as I start out on my own?

Thanks for your input!

[s10sleeper]

I understand that can be tough. With many insurance companies though, if being offered through a job, most of them will not consider it preexisting if you sign up during open enrollment or as soon as it is available to you. Along with this, if you get health insurance to start up just as you are no longer eligible for your parents, they may not classify it as preexisting, and if they do, you may be able to have an attorney review the policy and appeal it. I know when my job switched policies they tried to claim it was preexisting, and all that I had to do to appeal it was show that I went from my old policy to my new with no lapse in coverage.

I would recommend checking into this. I know a real good company that is easy to work with is Excellus BCBS

[flinnigan]

We've also had luck with BCBS. We're self employed and have always carried our own. We changed to BCBS shortly before I was diagnosed. But even if it had happened before we enrolled they would have covered everything after 6 months. Find a good agent to help you through this. It isn't right though is it. My son will have to worry about this when he leaves college too he has a tumor in his optic nerve. Hope they fix the insurance scam by then. Good Luck

[ganzverwirrt]

That is good to hear! BCBS is one of the other places I was going to try, so keeping my fingers crossed...

[skillefer]

Also, try to think longterm. although BCBS might be a pain in the tushy at times, at least it's a company that's well known in almost all 50 states. So, if you think that you might ever move out of state due to a job, going with a company that is recognized nation wide might be a good idea. Also, keep in mind that if you go to college, your university/college may offer health insurance coverage to students. And, that might be cheaper then going with a larger company.

[s10sleeper]

Certainly true, BCBS may be a pain once in awhile, but at the same time, if you are referred to someone or somewhere outside of what your particular company handles, they usually work together with another BCBS company to pickup the costs and they then reimburse them. They have a vast network and almost nobody refuses to accept BCBS, as a matter of fact I have never had any trouble in a hospital. Just be sure to review your statements and bills received by the hospital to be sure they didn't over charge or charge you for things that you did not receive, for example if they charged you for 10 tylenol when you only had 2. This can and does happen many times, although this is due to the hospitals and not the insurance companies.

[majormana]

hugs good luck it can be hard to get health insurance i've been tryn sence graduted high school in 05.

now to every 1 else why when i asked a simmlar question months ago i wasnt told bout bcbs sorry if i seem rude but i've been tryn with no luck to get insured and all i got told was bout the drug companys nd then i see simmilar qeustion with real answer so am a little upset