Denied health insurance.

March 8, 2006 11:33 AM

Recently went freelance (graphic design). My COBRA coverage ran out and I applied for insurance through a place called "Golden Rule" (my accountant's advice). I received a letter saying that they are unable to provide coverage because my "height and weight do not meet our guidelines".

When I applied I was truthful about my alcohol and cigarette intake (far from moderate). I have no pre-existing conditions (besides being a lardass that drinks and smokes too much), but I was insured for the previous 15 years at my former employer.

I am a single male, 35 years old, 6'0" and 275 lbs. Obviously I need to lose a good deal of weight, but where do I go from here?

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (23 answers total)

There are some other reasonable private health plans. What state do you live in?
posted by necessitas at 11:39 AM on March 8, 2006

Duh, you can't reply. My email is in my profile if you want to reply there.
posted by necessitas at 11:39 AM on March 8, 2006

You might look at joining an association (e.g. for graphic designers) and see if they have a group plan you can get into.
posted by kindall at 11:47 AM on March 8, 2006

Kaiser Permanente is usually a pretty good deal.
posted by electroboy at 11:54 AM on March 8, 2006

You want a group such as Working Today.
posted by jellicle at 11:56 AM on March 8, 2006

I had the same thing happen with Golden Rule. I'm 6'6" and 290 lbs. I think it's more the weight, they just won't cover anyone that goes out of the norm, despite a clean health history. I spoke with a broker after that and he said that Golden Rule, which is now owned by Universal (or something) was a pain to work with anyway.
posted by muddylemon at 12:00 PM on March 8, 2006

You will probably have to find something that will require you to pay more. It's not the end of the world although you will have to pass on the additional cost to your clients.
posted by JJ86 at 12:05 PM on March 8, 2006

If you want to do something about the weight, try South Beach Diet. I lost 70 lb. on it last year over a six-month period, going from borderline obese to the center of the healthy band. I've since crept up a bit but still pretty trim (6-2, 185).
posted by Doohickie at 12:09 PM on March 8, 2006

yup--Working Today, or you can pay thru the nose for Blue Cross or another plan--400 or up/month, i'd say.
posted by amberglow at 12:18 PM on March 8, 2006

there's also some thru Mediabistro, who uses the Independent Retail Business Association plans.
posted by amberglow at 12:21 PM on March 8, 2006

Kaiser is a good deal because they're hugely picky about who they take. About five years ago they rejected me, at age 30 and a non-smoker in average health, because I had a history of depression that was medicated with prozac, a drug that was either just generic or about to become so.

I pulled on them what you presumably have the option to do - given that I had a history of continuous coverage with a lapse of under 61 days, they were obligated to take me - a HIPAA requirement. Unfortunately what that requirement is that they take you... at their highest priced categorization for your group, which for me at that time would have been $500+ a month.

You might want to do this as a stopgap and to preserve your continuous coverage till you find a better deal but odds are it's not a cheap option for you. You may want to google yourself up a local insurance broker and find your Blue Cross/Blue Shield options for your area. HealthInsurance.com also sells BC/BS I believe.

And take this as a motivation to improve your health. It's only going to get more expensive and the repercussions worse as time goes on. You can add that higher premium on to the $5 a day your ciggies cost you. Good luck!
posted by phearlez at 12:22 PM on March 8, 2006

I left off the critical information - rather than take the $500+ a month deal from Kaiser I found an independent BC/BS seller and paid about $120 a month. Alternately, are you willing to moonlight part-time at Starbucks? My mother does and it gets her access to their health insurance. For herself and my father, both in their 60s, she pays under $200 a month for coverage for both of them.
posted by phearlez at 12:25 PM on March 8, 2006

I had HumanaOne for awhile, including some riders. It wasn't a bad program, and I could tailor the deductible to what I needed. Would recommend.
posted by 6:1 at 12:52 PM on March 8, 2006

This information is from the fabulous Marilyn Wann. E-mail me at the address in my profile and I can forward along the contact info for the person who is doing this research.

"A wonderful college student, has been working as an intern for NAAFA. She has researched a list of organizations that offer group health plans to members. By joining a group, the insurer can't screen for any pre-existing condition, including weight...which is so not a condition.

She has a link to a website that lists underwriting criteria,
including weight, for one company.

If you're applying for individual coverage and you're honest about your weight, you will be denied coverage or charge vastly more. It's more likely you'll just be denied."
posted by kimdog at 12:59 PM on March 8, 2006 [1 favorite]

Make sure you get covered within that 60 day period after COBRA runs out. Getting back into the system can be a bitch, from what I've heard.

AIGA has an info page on health insurance for designers here.
posted by mikeh at 1:25 PM on March 8, 2006

that Marilyn Wann page is NOT SAFE FOR WORK!! (grrrrr...)
posted by j at 1:34 PM on March 8, 2006

Depending on where you live, BCBS isn't necessarily that expensive. I pay roughly $300.00 for every two months of my PPO plan, with a $250 deductible. I live in NM, and know it's a lot more expensive in NY, but still when I was applying I was expecting to pay more. The nice thing about BCBS is that they let me submit a hypothetical application, so that I could get an estimate and a confirmation that I could be insured without the possible negative impact of being rejected. Call an insurance agent to ask about that- I think I remember it being called an "underwriter's sheet."
posted by Sara Anne at 1:38 PM on March 8, 2006

Insurance agents do not charge you to use their services. The insurance company is required to pay them and are not allowed to pass those charges onto you.
An insurance agent will help you sort out which companies to apply to and help you with the whole process.
posted by j at 1:43 PM on March 8, 2006

Mega Insurance is pretty inclusive and affordable.
Don't be turned off by the name - check it out!
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 1:58 PM on March 8, 2006

We were in a situation where we had to seek self-insurance. Our local Chamber of Commerce allowed us to join their plan. You have to join the chamber (it was something like $75 for the year), but then we got a rate that was half what anyone else quoted. They didn't ask any information other than the number of people we'd be insuring.
posted by clarkstonian at 2:23 PM on March 8, 2006

I've had Mega for a short time, I don't advise it. Google them and you'll find all sorts of law suits for unsavory practice (yes, most insurance can be a scam). YMMV.
posted by 6:1 at 3:08 PM on March 8, 2006

I've also had good success with workingtoday.org

It was a better deal than anything else I could find and no real complications.
posted by BillBishop at 9:11 PM on March 8, 2006

For group coverage, check into your college's alumni association.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:42 AM on March 9, 2006