Health Insurance | Life Insurance | Applying for an Insurance Policy | HIPAA and Major Risk Plan | COBRA

Health Insurance

• What details should I be considering when choosing between two health plans?
• I'm currently on Medicaid and about to start a job that offers health insurance. Is HIV considered a "pre-existing condition?" Will there be a waiting period for benefits? What kind of prescription coverage can I expect?
• If I quit my current job to move to a new state for a new job, will it be possible to have continuous health insurance coverage?
• If I find out soon after my health insurance goes into effect that I am HIV positive, can it be considered a pre-existing condition by the insurance company?
• Can my employer terminate my health insurance if I've been on medical disability?
• If I enroll in an individual health insurance policy through my university before COBRA expires, will I have any "pre-existing conditions" issues when I am eligible for insurance with a future employer?
• I have an individual health insurance plan, but my potential new employer offers a group plan. Which one is better for me as an HIVer?
• I'm covered by my domestic partner's health insurance. If he changes jobs, will I still have insurance coverage?
• I'm HIV positive, and my wife is dropping me from her health insurance. What options are available to me now?
• Are the expenses I incur seeing a medical nutrition therapist and massage therapist eligible for reimbursement through my health flexible spending account (FSA) provided by my employer?
• I experienced an occupational exposure to HIV, and my worker's comp insurance representative says they won't pay for the preventive antiretroviral therapy. Is this a common policy?
• I'm thinking of going to graduate school, but it looks like neither of the insurance plans offered by the university cover prescriptions. Is there another way I can get help to pay for my HIV meds?
• Are there any U.S. health insurance companies that offer overseas coverage?
• Can an insurance company cap HIV treatment benefits without capping other illnesses?
• Can my insurance company refuse to cover the HIV drugs I take?

Life Insurance

• Which companies provide life insurance benefits to HIV-positive individuals in the U.S.?
• If I complete an EOI (evidence of insurability) form and disclose my status, can I be denied life insurance?
• When my employer switched insurance carriers, the new carrier allowed us to elect a life insurance policy with no questions asked, so I did. Can they deny me coverage once the underwriting starts? And knowing my positive status, would they then disclose to my employer?
• How much coverage can I expect from companies that provide life insurance for HIV-positive individuals?
• Will my life insurance policy pay out if my death is HIV related?
• I had group life insurance through my company before I found out I was HIV positive. Is maintaining this policy my only chance of having life insurance?
• What is the best way to go about selling my life insurance?

Applying for an Insurance Policy

• I'm applying for individual health insurance but don't want to disclose my status. Should I lie on my application?
• Do health insurance companies request blood work or specific health information when you apply for an individual policy?
• My company is switching insurance companies; could I be denied coverage by the new provider because I'm HIV positive?
• I'm supposed to turn in my health insurance application to my boss, but on it I have to disclose my HIV status. Is there anything I can do so that my boss won't find out I have HIV?
• Can I be required to take an HIV test for new health and life insurance policies offered by a new employer?
• Can I change health insurance companies during an open enrollment period with a pre-existing condition such as HIV?
• Can my employer refuse to provide me with insurance because I am HIV positive?

HIPAA and Major Risk Plan

• What is an HIPAA policy?
• Is there a limit on the period of time I can have a HIPAA policy?
• What are the costs for HIPAA policies? Are they regulated?
• Should I get an HIPAA policy or a Major Risk Plan policy now that my COBRA coverage is coming to an end?

COBRA

• If I leave my job, am I eligible for COBRA? If so, when would my coverage start?
• How much does COBRA cost?
• What is COBRA?
• I wanted to use COBRA when I left my job, but even though it's been two months I still haven't received any sort of COBRA notice. What can I do?

For frequently asked questions on other HIV/AIDS topics, click here.