health insurance for the unhealthy?

[vaskidmark]

I'm no longer employed as a state bureaucrat and have health insurance through COBRA coverage.  6 months down & 12 to go before I lose coverage under my old plan.  I'm seriously thinking about becoming self-employed on a full-time basis, but the health insurance coverage is vital to my economic well-being (12+ meds daily & specialist doctor visits/blood work every 3 months).

Given a pre-existing condition or three, it seems there are few health insurance plans willing to cover me under an individual policy.

I do NOT want a "health-savings" or "discount" plan, but genuine old-fashioned health insurance.

Does anybody know of a plan that might sell me coverage where the premium will be less than my monthly co-pays?

If not, I'm going to have to quit this vacation & go back to being employed by someone else.

Contacts would be appreciated, but please do not just shill for your agent, who I know treats you wonderfully.  I need real leads, not just a list of everybody I've already called.

Thanks.

stay safe.

skidmark

[RaggedClaws]

I'm not sure where you can get insurance as a free-lancer, but you can no longer be denied health insurance due to pre-existing conditions, at least not since HIPPA was passed in 1996.

[Guest]

That's not true.  You can't be denied coverage under a group plan due to a preexisting condition, however, if you are purchasing your own insurance, you can certainly be denied.  

As to the original question, some--probably most--states have insurance programs for people who are otherwise uninsurable.  Call your states insurance department and ask them for suggestions.  They can be surprisingly helpful.

[DrAmazon]

When I was facing COBRA last year, I called my auto insurance agent and he found me a policy.  Mine was through Humana, and it cost about $120 per month for an 80/20, with no Rx coverage, but I forget what my deductable was.

I had to answer a ton of questions over the phone, and they pulled up my pharmacy records and asked why I was taking this that and the other.  I did get the coverage, but they excluded any lower back sprain/strain injuries, since I had just finished a pretty pricy run of physical therapy for my back.  

I carried the policy for 2 months while I was between jobs.

As for denial, you can't be denied for pre-existing if you've been consistantly insured.  If you let insurance lapse for longer than a certain time period, then you can be denied.  That's why you get those proof of insurance letters whenever you change insurances.  I think the time peroid is 180 days, but I'm not certian, so don't quote me on that.