Posted by Matt on October 30, 1998, at 10:13:13
In reply to insurance info. needed, posted by kore on October 29, 1998, at 15:37:56
> six years ago my insurance co. went bankrupt (2nd time this has happened to me), & i wanted to get new coverage in a hurry & foolishly lied on my application by not revealing that i had been medically treated for depression (i'd always paid for it myself, anyway) i was accepted & again have been paying for it myself, but the drugs are getting too expensive & i would like to switch to a dr. in my ppo. i feel uncomfortable lying by saying i've only had this for 6 years, when it's closer to 20, but don't want to be kicked out of insurance,prosecuted for fraud (could that actaully happen?), etc. perhaps they wouldn't even notice. i can't ask the co. an anonymous ?, cause they won't even talk to one without an id no. perhaps someone knows of consumer advice/advocacy groups i could ask.
> also, the server as of right know isn't working & i can't retrieve any postings on your site. don't know if somthing is wrong with your site, or if it's my computer.Kore,
To my knowledge, most managed care insurance companies have what is called a pre-existing waiting period. What this means is that if you have been diagnosed with something, they make you wait (usually 6months) before you are eligble to receive treatment. They do this because they don't want uninsured people who
discover that they have an illness to sign up for insurance so that they won't have to pay themselves. In their eyes, this defeats the idea of insurance, to insure against the "potentia" of loss. From what I understand, this doesn't mean that you cannot be insured because you are receiving ongoing treatment. However,
when it comes to mental health, it seems managed care companies change the rules and their polocies can be very uncooperative. A stategy you might use is to call the member services unit of the insurance company your interested in and tell them you're shopping for an insurance company but you would like to know
what pre-existing requirements they have under their mental health plans. I think you'll find, sooner or later, you'll get someone who is sympathetic to your situation and willing to spell out the details for you. Also, most state funded hospitals receive and treat patients of all kinds, that is with or without
insurance... and this treatment includes mental health treatmentand related neccessary perscriptions. These state hospitals, based on eligibility requirements, can often discount the cost of your treatments to a great extent. At a minimum, they can make very small, convienient payment arrangements with you with no fees or interest or that type of thing.
When it comes to selecting a proper doctor to help you manage your health, I can't give any pointers. Perhaps Dr. Bob might be able to give you some pointers there.
poster:Matt
thread:988
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19981001/msgs/995.html