AboutLinda Woolsteen Expertise I can help you with questions about health insurance. If you feel your insurance company is mistreating you. Are they telling you they are checking eligibity, pre-existing, etc. Or you just don`t understand how your insurance works or don`t understand what a PPO is.. I can help you.
Experience
Past/Present clients One company I worked for I was the underwriter for the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and the Ohio Bar Association. I was also a supervisor of our customer service department.
Expert: Linda Woolsteen Date: 5/25/2008 Subject: Pre-existing condition and pregnancy
Question I am a contract employee and I am not covered under any company benefits
packages. I bought a private insurance policy that is basically a short term
major medical policy. I have renewed this policy every year with no lapses for
the last two years. I recently became pregnant and of course my plan does
not cover this. I qualify for pregnancy Medicaid in my state, but just barely
with my income. I was recently offered a job with the company I contract with
that would include benefits that would cover my pregnancy. They don't know
I'm pregnant yet as I'm only 6 weeks along. If pregnancy is considered a pre-
existing condition, would the insurance company at the new job cover the
pregnancy if I present them with my Certificate of Coverage forms for the
last two years even if the plan I had didn't cover pregnancy? If not I'll have to
turn the job down so that I can still qualify for the pregnancy medicaid.
Answer Pregnancy cannot be considered as a Pre-Existing condition per Generally Most State laws. So, I would not worry about it. Just make sure the new policy that you would be taking does have Maternity coverage. Be sure to give them the CCC(s) to update the PE time period anyways just so you do not have any other things denied as possible PE. Also, if this is your first baby...generally you have 30 days to request to thave the baby added onto the policy & pay any additional premiums. They are not automatically added. However, some State Mandates to indicate that newborns are covered for the first 30 days anyways and then after that if you want coverage you have to make sure again you request for the baby to be added. If there is a state mandate for the first 30 days, usually, the insurance company will not tell you either. In fact, I use to argue with the company I worked for because they would not understand the State Mandate Language & swear up and down that they had to request for the baby to be added on (to have the 1st 30 days covered) which is not the way the mandate (if there is one for your state) works in my opinion. So, again to answer your question, you do not or need not have to provide them with the CCC (Certificate of Creditable Coverage forms) JUST to have the pregnancy covered. You just want to make sure that their policy provides maternity coverage.
