I had a really hard time getting health insurance for me and my family. I had insurance through my employer but when I lost my job and couldn’t afford the COBRA payments, I lost my health insurance. Not having health insurance is very scary when you have a wife and four children to take care of.
I contacted an independent insurance agent that sold health insurance for Anthem Blue Cross as well as several other insurance companies. I asked him for some health insurance quotes. We needed a policy for my wife and I and our 3 children (with our fourth child on the way). He took down some preliminary information and then had me go to his website to fill out the application. The application was several pages and took me about half an hour to complete on his website.
The agent eventually told me that we were declined coverage because of a “pre-existing condition.” I had some minor back issues throughout my life and the insurance company declined us as a result.
I wasn’t really sure what to do at that point. My family needed insurance but we couldn’t afford COBRA. I started researching health insurance online and found a site called Health Insurance Anthem Blue Cross. It’s a site that’s maintained by a local insurance agent named Tom McDonald. I filled out the form and then called Tom. He told me that I could get around the pre existing clause by getting a group policy. I guess if you get group insurance, the insurance company can’t decline coverage based on any pre-existing conditions. I had an LLC that my wife and I filled a few years back. She uses it to sell children’s clothes and blankets that she makes and I use it for some real estate investing work that I do. Tom told me that we would qualify for group insurance as long as we applied using our LLC instead of applying as individuals.
About a week after we subitted the application and all the supporting documentation to prove that we actually did own and opperate a business under that LLC, we had health insruance! I was very happy with the way things went and very greatful to have a knowledgeable agent to guide us through the process. The policy we got was great because it paid out at 100% after we met our deductable. We ended up not having to pay for about $20,000 in medical expenses that year! What a great decision that was.
I like that I was able to complete the application process online as opposed to turning in a hand-written application. It was also very important to me to have access to a knowledgeable insurance agent who could answer our questions and guide us though this process.
Learn more about California Health Insurance. Stop by Eric Sachs’ site where you can find out all about Blue Cross Health Insurance and what it can do for you.