Many of the requests I receive for Virginia health insurance are from people who have pre-existing medical conditions.  Sometimes, incorrectly, they assume that insurance companies will not cover their pre-existing conditions and they may be ineligible for health insurance because of them.  While there are many conditions that may cause a person to be ineligible, the fact is that many common ones such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, and many more can be insured and covered by major medical health insurance companies like Anthem Blue Cross / Blue Shield and CareFirst Blue Cross / Blue Shield.  CareFirst coverage is available if you live east of Route 123 in Northern Virginia.  Anthem coverage is available in all other parts of Virginia.

Anthem BCBS has three different risk classifications – Levels 1, 2, and 3, which can be assigned for each applicant.  A Level 4 risk class is also available for children that would normally be considered “uninsurable” (they cannot be denied coverage if enrolled with a parent) and for adults that can qualify for guaranteed-issue coverage through a HIPAA conversion after they have exhausted 18 months of COBRA, or were not offered COBRA by their employer.  Each level has a different price and the total cost depends on which plan and deductible you choose.

CareFirst BCBS will either offer coverage at standard rates, or add an additional 25% or 50% to the quoted premium.

Anthem has a 12-month waiting period and CareFirst a 10-month waiting period for pre-existing conditions on PPO plans – however, if you have prior “creditable coverage” (i.e. continuous coverage for 12 months or more without a break of more than 63 days), they will waive the waiting period for pre-existing conditions or reduce the wait by the number of days you have been previously covered by other major medical insurance if less than 12 months.  CareFirst does not require any waiting period on their HealthyBlue or BlueChoice HMO plans.

In the event that you are totally uninsurable because of pre-existing conditions, both companies offer a guaranteed-issue health insurance policy that will cover your pre-existing conditions after a 12 month waiting period (10 months for CareFirst).  The two policies available from Anthem are their Virginia Standard and Lumenos HSA Standard plans, and CareFirst has an Open Enrollment plan.  The Lumenos plan with Anthem is also compatible with a health savings account, which can offer additional tax advantages that are not available with other plans.

Do NOT make the mistake of purchasing a “limited benefit health plan” through an employer association or other companies that claim to offer guaranteed coverage.  Anthem and CareFirst offer the ONLY two true guaranteed-issue health insurance policies that are considered full major medical coverage in the state of Virginia.   

To get a quote for one of these plans, please contact us at 1-800-571-2980 or send us an e-mail at Info@terminsurancebrokers.com.  You can also click the banner at the top or bottom of the page to get an instant Virginia health insurance quote for you or your family comparing coverage from several of the best health insurance carriers in Virginia.  We strongly encourage you to contact us so we can fully explain the product benefits and help answer any questions you may have.  The cost of coverage is exactly the same whether you purchase it with our help or directly from the companies and there is never any charges or fees to you for our services (we are paid directly by the companies).

 

Click here to get quotes and apply online directly with Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield.  Just click “View Plans and Apply Online” and then under your preferred plan, click “Apply Now” to begin, or click “Get a Quote/Apply Now” if you have not received one already. (note – the quoting formats best with Internet Explorer or Firefox.  If using Chrome or another browser, try IE or FF for best results).

 

Click here to get quotes apply online directly with CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield.