Understanding Medical Insurance Plans in NC

In order to choose the right North Carolina medical insurance plan to fit your health and financial needs you must first fully understand how a medical insurance plan in NC actually works.

North Carolina is a state that fully embraces medical insurance underwriting to its fullest. There are no restrictions imposed upon this process, which means if you have a pre-existing condition you may not be able to qualify for a more traditional type medical insurance plan in NC. This can be a disadvantage, because it cuts your health insurance plan choices down considerably. But NC is a state that realizes that this may happen and has given their citizen an option of obtaining health care through a program known as Inclusive Health.

Inclusive Health offers individuals a way to obtain health insurance for their pre-existing conditions when they have been turned down by other traditional type insurance companies. It covers most medical costs that a traditional plan covers and does include a deductible and co-insurance out of pocket costs. Contact the NCHIRP office for a list of eligibility requirements.

Now it is important to note that just because you have a pre-existing condition does not mean that there is absolutely no chance that you will be able to obtain a traditional health insurance policy. Your chances are lower due to your pre-existing condition, but an insurance company might still insure you by imposing exclusions in the provisions of your policy. An exclusion is a so-called guideline that can state what the insurance is willing to pay for. For example, you have a pre-existing condition and the insurance company states that they will insure you but will impose an exclusion on your policy that states you will have to wait for a period of 12 months before they will help pay for any medical bills that are associated with your pre-existing condition.

Another area to consider is that medical insurance companies strive to keep health care costs low by sharing some of the costs with their participants. The way insurance companies go about this is that they impose out of pocket costs, such as deductibles, co-payments, monthly premiums, and co-insurance costs. You will be required to pay a certain amount of the costs associated with your medical bills and in some cases you will be required to meet certain costs(i.e. deductible) before the insurance company will pay for any portion of your medical bills.

Your first step in obtaining the right NC medical insurance policy is to first understand how medical insurance plans work. Once youre able to understand insurance policies, you are then able to choose a plan that is right for you and your family.

Start today by looking at the different aspects of each NC medical insurance plan and choose the plan that best fits your medical and financial needs.