Started in July 2010 under the health care reform law, the progam was supposed to bridge the gap for uninsurable people to 2014 when people should be able to choose from affordable policies available on the exchange. Aka Obamacare.
There are roughly 25 million Americans uninsured because with pre-existing medical conditions, but PCIP's administrators stated they might enroll 350,000 over the remaining three years. Even the highest CBO estimates the plan might garner 700,000 participants.
The program has high premiums, from $140 to $900 depending on your age and area. Also you must be uninsured for 6 months before applying. Still the PCIP is lower cost and offers better benefits than most high-risk pools in 35 states. Shop alternative health insurance plans
Running on empty
PROBLEM: The funds meant to do well are drying up fast and facing budget limits with very few subscribers. New Hampshire spent over $1.2 million in federal funding only enrolling just 80 people. My state has had to limit their PCIP to just 6,800 Californians, out of many fold uninsurables. *1 "high-risk pools" are proving very costly, and it is an open question whether the Congress allocated $5 billion for the PCIP plans, and they are running out of funds. *2
Monthly per-member costs have grown 300% higher than the initial projections.*3 How can government expect private insurance to cover uninsurables, when the government can't even afford it?
Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan States
The Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services presently available in AL, AZ, DC, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, MA, MN, MS, ND, NE, NV, SC, TN, TX, VT, and WY
The Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan is run by the states in AK, CA, CT, KS, ME, MD, MI, MO, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, RI, UT, WA,
and WI.
If you are thinking of getting into the plan, remember the republicans are attempting to cut funding for Obamacare, so the program could be temporary. Whenever you get underwritten through a for profit insurer, the premiums will always be lower because in health insurance company reviews your medical history and can lower their risk.
Enroll only the members of your family who can't qualify medically into the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. the rest of the family can shop insurance by getting health plan quotes from several carriers (never just one).
Craig Casey is an Writer, Coach, Blogger, Husband, and Former Health Insurance Agent helping people on the web since 1999 with their health insurance problems.
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*1
Health Care Sticker Shock In California, Peter Suderman - REASON.TV, http://reason.com/blog/2011/11/21/health-care-sticker-shock-in-california
*2 Health plans for high-risk patients attracting fewer, costing more than expected, ttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/27/AR2010122702343_2.html?sid=ST2011011702893
*3 California's pre-existing health condition plan getting new funds, http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/20/4134061/pre-existing-condition-plan-getting.html#storylink=cpy
