Summary Report on AZ Health Insurance from Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute has developed and published a series of Guides that summarize the health insurance rights, requirements and limitations of each of the 50 states in the USA plus the District of Columbia.
Here is a summary of the Guide as published for Arizona:
* If you participate in a group health plan, your coverage cannot be modified because of your individual health status.
* You have protections for pre-existing conditions. If you had prior health coverage, then that coverage can often count against any exclusionary timeframe for pre-existing conditions.
* You have the right to renew any existing health coverage, even if you've gotten sick or your health status has changed. Your coverage cannot be canceled for a change in your health.
* You have rights under the Federal legislation known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), including the continuation of your health insurance under COBRA. Generally, if you leave a job, you may continue your existing group health coverage for up to 18 months
* If your full-coverage health plan terminates for any reason, you have the ability to purchase a conversion policy from the same insurance provider within 31 days to provide you with full coverage. However, these policies may be very expensive and may offer less coverage than you previously had.
* If you lose your full-coverage health plan, including the expiration of your COBRA coverage period, and meet other statutory requirements, you will be eligible under HIPAA to purchase individual health insurance from any licensed provider in Arizona. Each licensed provider must offer at least 2 such individual plans. However, as with conversion coverage, these plans may be very expensive and offer minimum protections.
* If you have a lower income level, have children in your family without health insurance coverage, or are a small business owner or sole proprietor, you may qualify for subsidized plans offered by the State of Arizona.
To read the full Consumer's Guide to Getting and Keeping Health Insurance in Arizona, click on the following link:
AZ Health Insurance Consumer's Guide