By Daniel Weintraub
California’s newly expanded program for people who can’t get insurance because of pre-existing medical conditions is about to open for business.
The program, one of the first pieces of federal health reform to be implemented here, is already accepting requests for applications, which will be available later this month. Coverage will begin in September.
“This is an important step in our progress to ensure that many more Californians can
benefit from this important new federal program,” Cliff Allenby, chairman of the 7-
member Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, said in a statement released by the agency.
Rates under the new program will vary by region and the age of the applicant. The premiums will range from $127 monthly for a child in Southern California to $1003 a month for a 74-year-old person living in the Bay Area.
California will receive $761 million from the federal government to operate the plan through the
end of 2013. After that, new insurance rules will prohibit insurance companies from considering preexisting health conditions in pricing and eligibility.
Currently a state program provides insurance to about 7,100 high risk Californians each month. The federally funded expansion is expected to serve far more people.
To be eligible, a person must be a U.S. must be a citizen, a national or lawfully present in the
United States; must have had no creditable coverage in the six months prior to filing an
application; and must have a preexisting condition and by proof of denial by an insurance
carrier within the past 12 months or an offer of coverage above the premium level of the rates offered by the state’s high-risk program.
Nearly 4,000 people have requested an application for the program from the high-risk insurance board. Anyone who wants an application should submit their name, address, phone number and email
address to PCIP@mrmib.ca.gov.
Related Posts
No related posts.
Tags: health insurance, health reform, high-risk
Leave a Reply