Guaranteed Coverage is Attainable & Affordable

Guaranteed Coverage for Health Insurance, This Law is Still Relevant Today

Political leaders are praising themselves for reforming health insurance. And they have indeed taken a first step.

The new guaranteed coverage law isn't going to help everyone. Many workers are big winners. Others gain nothing. Some may be worse off, because their cost of coverage might go up.

You're a winner if you are now insured and take a new job at a firm that also provides a health plan. As long as you have had a policy for at least 12 months (18 months, if you enroll in the new plan late), you are guaranteed coverage for health pre-existing conditions . You'll get immediate coverage under your new employer's plan, including coverage for illnesses you already had.

This protects workers who are burdened with heavy medical expenses. Maybe you have a chronic ailment such as diabetes; maybe you are pregnant, or your spouse is; maybe you are healthy but your spouse or one of your children isn't. Guaranteed coverage for these folks is super important.

Such workers have been in "job lock." If they had changed jobs, their new company might not have provided guaranteed coverage for those conditions right away. .

The outlook is cloudier, however, for workers who leave a group plan entirely. Maybe you're joining a small firm that doesn't offer health insurance. Maybe you're starting your own business. You will need individual insurance, but you may not be able to find it if you are a high medical risk.

You have to buy the insurance yourself. Family coverage normally costs about $4,500 to $5,500, and the price could double if you have a medical problem. If the average worker had that kind of money, there wouldn't be 40 million people uninsured.