As anyone with a pre-existing condition knows, it can be very difficult to get health insurance in Texas. For some, health insurance may be completely out of reach as many insurers reject people with pre-existing conditions completely. If you do find insurance, you will likely pay higher premiums and deductibles for your care because you are considered far riskier than someone without any pre-existing condition.
Fortunately, there is an answer for people with pre-existing conditions that need health insurance in Texas. The answer is the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool, aka the Texas Health Pool, which provides health insurance in Texas for people who might not otherwise be able to qualify. They are a godsend for people who have a pre-existing condition.
You should note that with this health insurance alternative, you can be charged up to two times the normal rate of individual health insurance. One, because there are not a lot of resources like this in the state. Second, because the pool knows that there are not a lot of resources that would easily provide insurance coverage to the uninsurable; they have found a niche here. So, they know that since this group of people doesn’t have much of a choice for getting health insurance in Texas elsewhere, that they will have to join the pool.
The Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool insurance can be used to cover doctor’s visits, hospital stays and prescription drug costs. Serious mental health problems can also be covered by this type of health insurance in Texas. The one thing that is covered by most insurance companies that is not covered by the pool is help for chemical dependency issues.
There are guidelines issued by the federal government that dictate who is eligible for this type health insurance coverage in Texas. Another requirement is that your application for health insurance with another insurance company must have been denied due to your pre-existing condition and you will have to produce documentation to prove this when you apply.
Dependents of people who are covered with health insurance in Texas by Texas Health Pool may also be eligible for this type of insurance coverage. There are also certain types of medical conditions that will automatically qualify you for coverage in the pool. You will need to provide documentation from a health insurance agency that would prove your inability to get coverage through the traditional insurance companies.
It’s important that even though your pre-existing condition may prevent you from getting health insurance in Texas, that there is a way around that. Everyone needs health insurance, if for nothing else than going to the doctor. Not begin able to go to the doctor because of no insurance can be frustrating, to say the least. It’s important that the state of Texas has this program designed so that those with pre-existing conditions can be able to get quality care just like those that have the traditional health insurance. The health pool was probably one of the best things that could have happened for the state of Texas as far as health insurance is concerned.