The change could affect more than 3,500 Californians who participate in the health program, known as the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. Monthly premiums for patients in the federally funded high-risk pool are expected to drop an average of 17.9 percent, according to California’s Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board.
The state has received $761 million from the federal government to keep the program running until 2014. After 2014, the healthcare reform law will force insurers to accept previously “uninsurable” patients despite pre-existing conditions.
The program will also provide an easier path for applicants, who will no longer have to prove they’ve been rejected by insurers. Going forward, applicants will simply have to provide a letter from a physician explaining a deniable condition. The California program is available to legal residents who have been uninsured for six months prior to applying and who have a medical condition that makes them ineligible for private coverage.
Read the San Francisco Chronicle report on high-risk patients.
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