Guide to Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance

5 Minute Guide to Guaranteed Issue
Health Insurance Plans

If you have found your way to this web site, chances are that you are having a very difficult time of finding health insurance. We can offer you a variety of guaranteed issue health insurance plans that you can obtain regardless of your present medical condition.

Please take 5 minutes (or less) to look over this simple guide to our plans. It will hopefully answer a lot of your questions. Afterwards, give us a call and we will clear up any remaining confusion.

Reach us at 800-272-0512 Mon - Thurs 9 AM - 8 PM EST and Friday until 6 PM

Table of Contents:

Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance versus Non-Guaranteed Issue

Guaranteed issue simply means that the health insurance policy will be issued regardless of your medical conditions. There is no underwriting and there are no medical questions on the application.

With traditional health insurance, there are a series of medical questions that you are asked prior to the issuance of a health insurance policy. They can deny coverage based on your answers. With most of our plans, your current or past medical conditions cannot be used to deny coverage.

Keep in mind, that even if a traditional health insurance plan accepts you, they might not cover your pre-existing conditions. If you have had 12 months of prior coverage without any breaks of more than 63 days, the guaranteed issue plans will cover your prior health conditions. You will get credit for the time you had coverage if it is less than 12 months.

Many of you are under the impression that if you have had health insurance and get a "certificate" you are guaranteed coverage. This is not true. If you are applying for a private as opposed to a group health insurance plan, they do not have to accept you. It does not matter how many certificates you have.

Do I need a guaranteed issue health insurance plan?

If you are reasonably healthy and your current medical conditions are well controlled, you could most likely qualify for a traditional health insurance plan and do not need to have a guaranteed issue plan. We have spoken to individuals who were declined by one carrier, yet we knew they would be accepted by another. If you call us, we have a fairly comprehensive knowledge of underwriting standards and will give you an assessment as to whether you need a guaranteed plan or not.

Your definition of healthy and the insurance company's definition might differ. If you had bypass surgery 10 years ago and now can run a marathon, you will still be uninsurable by traditional carriers. Although, we would be glad to issue you a policy.

If you are medically uninsurable, then you most certainly need a guaranteed issue plan and we will help you determine which plan best suits your needs and your budget.

Sometimes, a carrier is willing to issue a "regular" health insurance policy but will permanently exclude your pre-existing medical conditions. Depending on the nature of these exclusions, you still might want a guaranteed issue plan. After all, you do not want to get into a protracted legal battle because a carrier would not cover a heart attack, or cancer by claiming it was related to your "excluded" condition.

In other instances, a policy might be issued without exclusions, but the premium is increased to an astronomical figure. Once again, a guaranteed issue plan might be the best alternative.

You need health insurance and we offer you a way to obtain it.

What about COBRA, HIPAA or State-Sponsored plans? Will these work for me?

COBRA is a continuation of your group health insurance plan. It generally lasts for 18 months. Sometimes COBRA is cost effective and sometimes it is not. In either instance, it will only last for a limited time period.

HIPAA plans are sometimes referred to as continuation plans. You must first use up your COBRA before you are eligible for a HIPAA plan.

HIPAA plans are very expensive and continue to go up a substantial amount each year. You can easily find yourself paying thousands per month. Our plans are an excellent alternative.

There are certain states that have "pools" for health insurance. Again, these plans are expensive and are rapidly disappearing as participants are moved off of them and on to Medicaid. The problem is, the income requirements for Medicaid are so low, very few of you will qualify.

COBRA, HIPAA and State Pools can be very expensive. Our guaranteed issue plans could lower your premium by thousands per year.

Is this real health insurance plan or a discount plan?

We do not sell discount plans. All of our plans are "real" health insurance and sold only by licensed health insurance agents.

We have more than one guaranteed issue health insurance plan with a variety of coverage options. But, in all instances, there is a legitimate insurance company behind it.

Discount plans are generally a waste of money and give you a false sense of security. Many states are clamping down on these plans and the individuals who sell them are starting to crawl back into the hole in the ground from which they emerged.

Why would anyone give me health insurance if I have a medical problem?

That is an excellent question with a somewhat complicated answer. However, I am going to try to give you a simplified version.

The indemnity plans we offer have either defined benefits or maximum annual payout for claims.

In the case of a defined benefit, the insurer knows what their maximum exposure is. If they pay $1,000 a day for a hospital, they know the limits of their liability. A traditional company has virtually unlimited liability. In the case of a serious illness, they can pay out millions in claims. Although, most claims are less than $10,000, they still impose strict underwriting standards.

Mini-medicals plans, defined benefit/indemnity plans - A fast and simple explanation please

All of these plans can get confusing. Let me break it down for you.

The first is the indemnity/defined benefit/mini-medical plan. They are all really the same thing. Mini-medical is a made up name for a plan that has less coverage than a major medical plan. There is no accepted universal definition. So, please be careful when someone says they have a "mini medical" plan. We use the term to differentiate some of our plans.

We offer a number of indemnity/defined benefit plans with varying benefit levels.

A defined benefit plan is sometimes referred to as an indemnity plan. That means that it pays you (or the provider) a fixed amount (defined amount) for a medical expense.

For example, one of our plans pays $3,000 for the first day you are hospitalized and $1,000 a day thereafter for a certain number of days. The plan has a defined hospital benefit. They don't care what the hospital bill is. They have already told you exactly what they will pay.

You just have to keep in mind that a limited benefit, indemnity or mini medical plan is a health insurance plan with limited coverage. That does not mean that they will not provide adequate coverage for 99% of the population.

The second is a major medical plan.

We do have a guaranteed issue major medical plans on a limited basis. You must be working at least part time. You may be self employed. These are very extensive, full major medical plans with unlimited coverage.

Will I have copays and access to a large network of providers?

All of our plans offer you access to large national PPO networks. You will always be entitled to the network rate for all of your medical expenses. The network discounts are usable even after the plan benefits are used up. This alone can be a dramatic savings.

Some of our "min medical" plans have traditional copays. Others, pay the physician according to a schedule. In most cases, the entire physician's fee will be covered.

Truthfully, will these plans cover all of my expenses?

Only 7% of population spend 1 night in hospital and less than 1% spend a night in the hospital on two separate occasions. The average retail cost is $1371; with PPO network, the cost is $960. So, the limits of the mini-med or defined benefit/indemnity plan will meet the average person's needs.

Our guaranteed issue critical illness plan will give you an additional lump sum of $25,000 in the event of a major illness like cancer, stroke, etc. It will also add another $500 a day for hospitalization. The plan is very inexpensive.

A guaranteed issue health insurance plan might be the only coverage available to you. You should not go without any coverage at all if you can help it. Do not dismiss any of these plans without investigating them carefully.

I always recommend you calling me to discuss your situation. My number is 800-272-0512.

Can I pay for insurance through my business? Can it be offered to employees?

Yes, you can have a business billed for these plans and any of them can be offered as a voluntary or non-voluntary group plan.

What do you mean by HIPAA qualified plans?

What do you mean by "stacking" health plans? How does it give me more coverage?

By stacking, we simply mean purchasing more than one plan and combining their coverage.

You can, for example, add our XTRA rider to any of our plans and obtain an additional $500 a day for hospitalization, $1000 for ICU and a $25,000 lump sum critical illness plan.

We have a wide variety of plans that can be combined together for maximum coverage.

Do the plans cover maternity?

Almost all of our plans cover maternity. The only requirement is that you are not pregnant when you obtain the insurance. There is no waiting period for the maternity benefits.

A number of your plans have critical illness riders. What do these plans do?

A critical illness plan pays you a lump sum amount in the event that you suffer a heart attack, life-threatening cancer, stroke, kidney failure as well as a number of other illnesses.

Some of our plans include a small amount of critical illness coverage. But, you can buy an inexpensive rider that adds up to $25,000 in critical illness coverage..

I need guaranteed issue health insurance. What are my next steps?

I recommend you give me a call. If you have a chance, look at the plan detail pages beforehand. Once you read through my web site, you will be armed with enough information for us to work together and figure out a strategy.

We can be reached Mon - Thurs from 9 AM to 8 PM EST and on Fridays until 6 PM. Leave a message if you cannot reach us. We generally get back to you in 24 hours or less. Or Click Here to send us an email

Call us at 800-272-0512 (9 AM to 9 PM EST)