Alabama Individual Health Insurance Plans

There is nobody on earth who is disease proof or accident proof. Health insurance plans are helpful in times of health crisis. Based on a study conducted in 2005, fifty percent of bankruptcies are due to health problems. If you are residing in Alabama, you must be aware that there are plenty of group health plans available. However, if you cannot access any of them, then you may opt for Alabama individual health insurance plans, which are handled by private insurance companies. There are also a number of Alabama individual health insurance plans to choose from, but do not assume that all Alabama individual health insurance plans are the same.

Alabama does not impose upon its health insurance companies that the policies should be standardized. They are free to make their own policies and it is up to you to compare the prices and coverage to get the Alabama individual health insurance that suits you best.

However, there are certain benefits that every Alabama health plan must include. Such benefits are screening for prostate, colorectal and breast cancer. It is also mandated in Alabama that mental conditions be treated as physical conditions; therefore, they must be of equal coverage limits.

Before Alabama health insurance policies are granted to a person, they must undergo tests and interviews regarding their health. Alabama health insurance law allows Alabama health insurance companies to reject or limit those who have pre-existing conditions, which sometimes include pregnancy. For an Alabama individual health insurance company, any serious health problem, whether past or present, can be grounds for a complete denial of the policy. Alternatively, the Alabama health insurance plans that are being offered to the person may be amended by the insurer to have limitations. This amendment is called an elimination rider. Although the individual is not obliged to accept the elimination rider, the refusal most likely leads to the insurer's decline of Alabama individual health insurance.

When you say pre-existing condition, Alabama health insurance companies define it as a medical condition that you have had six months prior to the first day of the coverage. However, this definition is for group health insurance companies only. Alabama individual health insurance companies on the other hand, can consider an illness or disease as a pre-existing condition if it happens within five years from the first day of the coverage. Moreover, companies of Alabama individual health plans can make a contract, which states that they will not pay any expenses that occur relating to the pre-existing condition for a period of time. In Alabama, the individual health plan insurer can register a span of up to 2 years. If you happen to file for an Alabama health insurance claim within twenty-four months since the beginning of the coverage, and it is for a pre-existing condition, then the insurer will refuse to pay you anything.

If a person is covered by an Alabama individual health plan has dependents as part of the coverage, then their newborn is automatically covered of the insurance. Nevertheless, it will only last for thirty-one days after their birth. However, Alabama individual health plans will give parents several days to file for continuation of the baby's insurance.