Yamileth Medina

Be Honest When Buying A Health Insurance Plan!



Posted: Thursday, October 21, 2010

by Yamileth Medina
VitalOne Health

Purchasing health insurance can be tough, especially if a person has a pre-existing conditions. Many insurers will reject them entirely, citing the increased cost they represent. Meanwhile, the options open to them can come with prohibitively expensive premiums. Due to their health status, shopping around is more difficult.

In these cases, there is the temptation to be dishonest. Especially if he or she has had a clean bill of health since that time, they may not consider it to be a big deal. However, it is extremely important to health insurance companies.

When an individual purchases a policy, they sign a contract. One of the provisions in the agreement states that the insurer can revoke coverage at any time if the policyholder is proven to have been deceptive in the application process. This will result in the person effectively having paid premiums into the system for nothing.

If a person has been insured in the past and had treatment related to a pre-existing condition previously, other insurance companies will be able to find out about it. All of them have access to the medical information bureau, which stores this information.

One error or ommission--no matter how innocent--can result in the insurance underwriter conducting a deeper investigation. This makes it more likely that they will find something that can be interpreted negatively.

There are some cases where unscrupulous agents fill out applications inaccurately to pump up their sales figures and meet their quota. Thankfully, this instance is rare. However, it is necessary to find a qualified, licensed insurance agent to steer a person towards the plans that are truly right for them.

Even besides the ethical aspect, lying on a health insurance plan application is not a good solution for health. A person may sign up for a plan that has little or no coverage of the treatment (such as medication or doctor's visits) that they require. The deception does not meet anyone's needs.

Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find a quality health insurance plan right now. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Jennifer Stewart
 1 year 196 days ago.
152 fans.
Your advice is good! I think people often lie because they see insurance companies of any kind as being so dishonest, but as you say, it's really shooting yourself in the foot.
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