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What is a Pre-Existing Condition and Will My Health Insurance Cover It?

September 23, 2009 By : Doug Gulleson

Would an insurance company consider a roller skating accident when you were 3 years old a
pre-existing condition?

Probably not. But you never know.

A pre-existing condition is:  Any injury or sickness that manifested itself prior to the effective date of insurance coverage – regardless of whether you received medical attention for it or not.

A lot of us are perplexed because health insurance companies won’t cover pre-existing conditions. Companies know that if they cover all pre-existing conditions they won’t be in business long. Insuring a person with a pre-existing condition is like insuring a burning building.  Of course no one wants to be compared to a burning building, but we get the picture. You insure a burning building, you are losing money; you insure a person with serious pre-existing conditions, you are losing money.

What you need to know is that different companies put a time limit on what is considered a pre-existing condition. Sometimes a condition can go back to your childhood. One insurance company gives a five-year look-back as the time span for determining a pre-existing condition. Others state time limits at 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, 60 months, etc.

Lesson:  check with your insurance company on their time limits.

Call Good Neighbor Insurance for your international health and travel insurance  needs.

Doug Gulleson

Search Results

Waivers and Riders – What are those?

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I’ve been thinking about “waivers” and “riders” and how that might affect a young woman with a busted knee when she tries to buy health insurance. What are her options?

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A Look at Healthcare Systems Around the World – England

September 18, 2023

Britain’s health care system may offer “free” health care for its citizens, but most don’t see the hidden costs of such a system.

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Buying Health Insurance is Like Buying a Car

April 2, 2010

Bells and whistles on a car increase the cost. So it is with health insurance. Adding benefits only increases your premiums. One way to lower premiums is to increase your deductible and decrease the amount of benefits.

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Understanding Pre-existing Medical Conditions

April 23, 2010

Don’t we all have some pre-existing condition?  To quote from an unknown author, “No one is perfect…that’s why pencils have erasers.“ So what is a pre-existing condition?  Imagine you contact your car insurance agent on a Monday morning to tell him you want to take out car insurance to pay car repairs. The car is now in the garage being fixed because […]

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How Much Travel Insurance Do I Really Need?

October 16, 2023

Clicking the “buy insurance” button when buying an online ticket most likely will offer only very basic coverage. This may be fine if your trip doesn’t cost much and if your itinerary is not a complicated one. But if you have multiple stops over a longer period of time with expensive hotel reservations, you may want to consider Trip Cancellation insurance.

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Don’t let your Short-Term Team Trip Abroad Become a Nightmare

February 19, 2024

Short-term teams need health and travel insurance that covers medical bills, medical evacuation, and return of mortal remains. Don’t let your short-term team adventure turn into a nightmare.

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