In a few months, I will need to begin to look for new health insurance. My son and I are now covered under COBRA insurance BCBS at my now deceased husband's workplace. Will the band effect me getting health insurance? Should I even tell them I have it? Anyone with experience or information please let me know.

Thanks.

You should be up front with it, because of you do not tell them, then they will not cover anything that happens with it because you did not disclose it to them. However, some will say it is a preexisting condition and some may not depends on the company I believe.

Good Luck!!

Hey there. I'm an HR director in real life, so I'll try to answer your question. Any pre-existing condition can impact the availability, cost or type of coverage you can get if you are looking on your own. As Jack said, the best possible option for you in group health insurance through an employer. Group health plans are prohibited by law from declining new eligible employees for any reason at all.

If you are stuck getting coverage on your own without the benefit of an employer - absolutely do not omit any health conditin, including the band, from medical questionairres. That's insurance fraud and can cause you a heap of trouble.

But think of it this way - you possibly had all kinds of health problems pre-band (insulin resistance, GERD, sleep apnea, morbid obesity, high cholesterol or high blood pressure?) Any one of these problems could impact your ability to attain coverage. So, assuming that you've resolved some or all of these through band related weight loss - I doubt you are in any worse shape to get coverage after band than before!!

I work for an insurance company and like the above statements say it realy depends on the plan you choose. Going through an employer is easiest but if you look on your own you do need to speak with the benefits specialists and ask about any pre-existing health conditions clauses. We all know healthcare is expensive and you don't want to be stuck with mountains of bills if you find out that your coverage excludes pre-existing conditions. Many companies will take into account that you have had other insurance prior but you have to be sure not to allow a lapse in between to benefit from this. What state are you in, you can also check for the state department of insurance laws on line to see if you have protection for pre-existing conditions by your state. Good Luck.

have you had a lapse in health care at all???

maybe you should look into parts of HIPPA

Preexisting Condition Exclusions

• The law defines a preexisting condition as one for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received during the 6-month period prior to an individual’s enrollment date (which is the earlier of the first day of health coverage or the first day of any waiting period for coverage)
  
• Group health plans and issuers may not exclude an individual’s preexisting medical condition from coverage for more than 12 months (18 months for late enrollees) after an individual’s enrollment date
  
• Under HIPAA, a new employer’s plan must give individuals credit for the length of time they had prior continuous health coverage, without a break in coverage of 63 days or more, thereby reducing or eliminating the 12-month exclusion period (18 months for late enrollees)
  

Fact Sheet - The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)