Health Insurance for HIV Positive People
People infected with AIDS often face a critical issue of obtaining a health insurance. Chances are that due to intervening governing bodies, you may be granted the health coverage, but the stigma does not end there. Keeping and using that health insurance coverage can prove another major task facing many hindrances.
It is not uncommon for insurance carriers to follow unlawful practices such as discrimination towards persons with HIV. Here are some examples of things to look out for.
An important part of any insurance company is it's underwriting. The underwriting procedures allow insurance companies to evaluate the risk of a potential policy holder. This process determines if the applicant is either rejected or accepted. During the application process you'll be asked a series of health related questions. California residents are protected under law from an insurance company using a blood test report for detecting the presence of antibodies, known as the likely cause of AIDS.
Insurance companies can not use sexual orientation as the basis for assessing the risk level. This is a gray area that many insurance companies use by denying coverage to single males of certain age groups and living in certain locales known to be part of the gay community.
It is common for insurance companies to exclude what are deemed pre-existing conditions. These are conditions or illnesses that the applicant had before submitting the application to the insurance company. The insurance company has to right to issue the insurance policy with these conditions excluded from the policy coverage.
In case of HIV infected people, often the symptoms are noticeable to the insurer, as they deal with the medical aspects on daily basis, and are well aware of it. Most of the time, suspecting that a person may have HIV infection, the policy is designed in such a way to avoid claims in future.
To limit future liabilities, insurance carriers have used the application process as a loophole for denying claims. If a policyholder tests positive for HIV, some carriers have declined medical claims on the grounds that the policy holder did not provide accurate medical history on the application. Many state courts have ruled that the insurance companies must prove that the applicant purposely withheld information or pay the claims. - 23211
It is not uncommon for insurance carriers to follow unlawful practices such as discrimination towards persons with HIV. Here are some examples of things to look out for.
An important part of any insurance company is it's underwriting. The underwriting procedures allow insurance companies to evaluate the risk of a potential policy holder. This process determines if the applicant is either rejected or accepted. During the application process you'll be asked a series of health related questions. California residents are protected under law from an insurance company using a blood test report for detecting the presence of antibodies, known as the likely cause of AIDS.
Insurance companies can not use sexual orientation as the basis for assessing the risk level. This is a gray area that many insurance companies use by denying coverage to single males of certain age groups and living in certain locales known to be part of the gay community.
It is common for insurance companies to exclude what are deemed pre-existing conditions. These are conditions or illnesses that the applicant had before submitting the application to the insurance company. The insurance company has to right to issue the insurance policy with these conditions excluded from the policy coverage.
In case of HIV infected people, often the symptoms are noticeable to the insurer, as they deal with the medical aspects on daily basis, and are well aware of it. Most of the time, suspecting that a person may have HIV infection, the policy is designed in such a way to avoid claims in future.
To limit future liabilities, insurance carriers have used the application process as a loophole for denying claims. If a policyholder tests positive for HIV, some carriers have declined medical claims on the grounds that the policy holder did not provide accurate medical history on the application. Many state courts have ruled that the insurance companies must prove that the applicant purposely withheld information or pay the claims. - 23211
About the Author:
Hubert Miles is a blogger for many websites and the webmaster of Health Insurance Articles and Health Articles websites.
posted by X - Men @ 6:03 AM
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