Indiana Health Insurance Options
Reader question:
I live in Indiana and don’t have health insurance. How does health insurance work in Indiana?
Rick
Here’s how.
The troubling thing about Indiana health insurance and that of many other states is that, if you are someone who is not in completely perfect health, it can often be difficult to get a health insurance plan with good coverage. In Indiana, companies get to reject you for many reasons including what your current health is and whether or not you have pre-existing conditions.
If you have a pre-existing coverage in Indiana that you developed within the last year, you may be in trouble. Some health insurance companies will cover you but exclude coverage for that condition, so you don’t have medical health insurance for what you need it for the most. Others might just not cover you at all, and you will have to look elsewhere. If your condition is from more than a year ago, it cannot be taken into account when considering an exclusion.
If you are going to get Indiana health insurane, you can either get it through the Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool, or CHIP; an individual medical health insurance plan that you buy from a medical health insurance company; or a plan provided by Indiana health insurance through the state that you can get based on income.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama
Cheap health insurance Indiana–HMO or PPO?
Cheap health insurance in Indiana can be easy to find, but be careful not to be misled in to purchasing bad insurance. Personally, I would never get involved with an HMO. They are cheaper than most PPO policies, but the coverage is poor and the service even worse.
If you or anyone you know has ever tried to see a specialist while on an HMO, you know how frustrating it can be. A few years ago, my cousin’s coverage changed toward the end of her pregnancy, and she actually had to go by the doctor’s office during labor to get a referral to be able to check into the hospital. At least she knew the ropes and didn’t get caught with thousands of dollars in medical bills that would have been unpaid if she hadn’t gone in for that painful referral first.
HMOs are also notoriously known for keeping patients from needed care through the referral stipulations. A friend’s son suffered irreversible hearing loss because they couldn’t get their assigned pediatrician to refer him to an ENT early enough. When they finally did see an ENT two years later, he told them that if he had seen the child sooner, the boy wouldn’t have such severe hearing loss.
PPOs have problems too, and they are also large corporations focusing on making a profit, but at least you can get an appointment with anyone on their extensive provider list whenever you need to.