I applied for health insurance by phone, and was denied due to a pre-existing condition. In order to get proof of the reason why I was denied, I had to apply for the same policy through the insurer’s website. Perhaps that proof will help me to qualify for the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan.
The process of applying for health insurance can be tedious and confusing. Earlier today, I spoke with a representative from Celtic Insurance. I wanted to know what the premium for a specific health insurance plan would be. The representative said that she would not know the answer to that question until after I applied for the insurance. Health insurance might be the only thing that is legal to sell in the United States without telling consumers what it will actually cost.
She helped me to apply for the insurance plan over the phone. I never ended up getting an answer to my question about what the premium will cost because I was denied partway through the application process. Celtic Insurance considers my allergies to be a pre-existing condition. I have been denied the health insurance policy that I was interested in purchasing specifically due to having a pre-existing condition.
Unfortunately, the representative could not provide me with written proof of the reason why my application was denied. She said the only way to get that would be to go to their website, and to apply for the same policy online.
In short, she said that if I were to apply online, and put in all the information about my allergies that I shared with her, that I would surely be denied. I would be sent an email that said why I was denied. In other words, I would then have written proof that I was denied health insurance coverage due to the existence of a pre-existing condition.
There is something completely strange about applying for health insurance online knowing full well that my application will be denied. The online application took a long time to fill out, because it didn’t automatically stop as soon as I said the word “allergies”. There were some unexpected things in this application. I was asked:
“Are you a U.S. Citizen or a permanent legal resident of the U.S.?”
This was followed by: “If “No”, coverage cannot be granted”. This is the first time I have seen this particular statement on a health insurance application.
In order to complete the application, I had to give Celtic Insurance my checking account number, and I had to give them permission to start automatically billing me monthly for the health insurance policy. Nothing in the application said what the premiums will cost. I have not been officially approved for the policy, and already, they want to make sure that they will have access to my money.
At the end of the application, it said:
“Based on the information provided on your application an immediate underwriting decision is not available at this time. Further review by Celtic Ins. Co. is necessary in order to make a final coverage decision. You will receive notification as your application progresses through the underwriting process. Thank you for your patience.”
Image by Simon Law on Flickr