Maryland Health Insurance

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Maryland Health Insurance

Health insurance nowadays comes in two principal categories: individual and group.
Individual insurance caters to the needs of those who are self-employed, or are working in a company that does not offer a health plan, or who keep a family and want to get individual insurance for family members. If you purchase an individual plan, you must pay a yearly premium, and also a deductible for each insured dependent, up to a base amount. If you buy a group policy instead, you have to pay an annual premium, co-payments payable at each medical service, and a deductible payable before insurance begins to pay your valid medical bills.

In Maryland, insurers are free to reject your application for individual health insurance if you have a health problem. With the exception for HMOs, insurers may apply elimination riders to exclude any pre-existing condition you may have. Insurers can also review your medical records in the prior seven years for pre-existing conditions if you make a claim in the first 24 months of coverage. Maryland considers pregnancy, not genetic information a pre-existing condition. No credit is available for continuous coverage for pre-existing conditions in individual policies. No insurance can be cancelled due to illness.

If you qualify, you cannot be denied group health insurance in Maryland because of a health problem. The law of the state especially protects guardianships and dependent grandchildren by requiring their inclusion in fully insured group plans. A new employer may need a short waiting period before offering group coverage. New insurers may check your medical records in the prior six months before policy acceptance for pre-existing conditions, if you make a claim in your first 12 months of coverage. Curbs exist on the length of exclusion periods for any pre-existing conditions that depend on the type of group plan. HMOs and small group health plans cannot set exclusion periods. If you have had continuous coverage of health insurance, you are entitled to credit for exclusion periods from other types of health plans.

In Maryland, small businesses can neither be denied nor charged more for group insurance due to the health of a group member. A standard plan is the only policy that can be offered to these small businesses that employ only two to 50 workers.

Maryland allows the self-employed to purchase small group coverage in December of each year, during open enrollment. If you want to buy at a different time of the year, you have to follow the rules for individual health policies. You can get in touch with Maryland Insurance Administration for regulations that govern associations with group health insurance coverage.

Maryland Health Insurance Plan helps those with costly medical problems and who have been denied individual health insurance. Some programs in Maryland that provide assistance are Medicaid, Women’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, and Maryland Children’s Health Program.

It is never an easy job to select the right health insurance quotes. You should do some homework before you make the final decision. It is better to appoint professional health insurance agents and brokers who can help you in this regard.

Health insurance providers in Maryland include Aetna, Assurant Health (formerly Fortis),
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Coventry Health Care, Golden Rule, Guardian and Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic.

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Useful links and information:

http://www.marylandhealthinsuranceplan.state.md.us/index.html

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