[Nfbc-info] Long Term Health Insurance

[Bryan Bashin]

Randy,

You're now talking about straight health insurance, not long-term 
care.  It is possible that, as the two Mikes have written, some 
underlying health condition has resulted in your highh-risk status 
and high-cost policy.  This is terrible, to be sure, but I'm not sure 
this was specifically about blindness.  Insurers under California law 
do have the right to set various rates for individual policy-holders 
based on previous health history.  I would be most interested in the 
specific language in their letter to you about your blindness.  The 
letter, incidentally, was not a denial letter if they offered you 
coverage at a sky-high price.

Your options are several.  You could ask your employer to cover you, 
with a large employee contribution.  This would lower the employer 
cost while still allowing you to take advantage of the much-better 
group rates rather than a rate based on your own medical 
history.  You might also tell your employer that other blindness 
agencies in your area offer good health insurance coverage for their 
employees and that it is a good matter of equity that they do the 
same.  Finally, there is a bit of California legislation which allows 
people making middle-class wages to buy into Medi-cal coverage.  I 
believe individuals with disabilities can take advantage of this 
program while earning up to roughly $40,000.  Granted Medi-Cal is not 
the world's most wonderful policy, but it will cover basic medical 
needs and all catastrophic needs, and it's more than non-disabled 
Californians are eligible to recieve until they are completely impoverished.

Of course you can always move to an employer who is more generous 
with health coverage -- I think the Society for the Blind may be 
hiring in Sacramento.

Best,

Bryan




At 01:12 PM 1/24/2009, you wrote:
>Mary I have had trouble finding affordable long-term health 
>insurance since I've left Santa Barbara and started a job in El 
>Dorado County.  The Skill center, which I work only, has two paid 
>employees, me a full time worker and a part-time secretary and 
>doesn't offer health insurance.  I make enough income that I tried 
>finding my own health insurance but Blue Cross and Blue Shield both 
>wrote back saying I was not qualified because I am   blind placing 
>me in a high risk category and tripling the monthly amount I would 
>have to pay.
>
>So I remain uninsured.
>
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