What is HIPAA? – Company Group Health Insurance
HIPAA is the acronym for the US Federal “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” of 1996. For the expatriate, the key feature is how it applies to employees moving from one employee group to another and how it affects their global health insurance plans.
It tries to prevent discrimination of US citizens by limiting the use of pre-existing conditions clauses in domestic health insurance plans. These are used to deny you cover or charge you extra as a new company group health insurance member transferring from another HIPAA group or from COBRA. It also guarantees the right of groups to renew. This applies to small groups that might have one very sick individual that might otherwise be dropped because of a bad loss record.
The bottom line is that the USA can be a health insurance nightmare and even if you are covered by a domestic group plan, you may not be able to continue cover beyond the COBRA mandated 18 months if you’re sick and unable to work, or buy private global health insurance plan as an individual if you have developed a pre-existing condition and been on a company group health insurance plan and unable to get new employment with a firm that has a HIPAA group program within 18 months of termination.
For better or worse, in the USA, health insurance is not a right as in other countries with national health systems. If you have an unacceptable pre-existing condition, even if you have previously been covered HIPAA or COBRA compliant company group health insurance policy and you are not hired by a firm with a HIPAA plan, you better have deep pockets as you will be unable to buy health insurance in the USA and you’ll be paying for everything yourself.
Our advisors can give you a range of quotes for your global health insurance plan.
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| Hi, My mom will be coming from north africa to visit me in the USA and stay for acouple of weeks. Recently she has been having a heavy hand and legs feeling. She has been prescribed a medication that is usualy prescribed for patients with mild parkinson's. I would like to get some second opinion and test(scans) performed on her in the USA. I don't think that she has parkinson's and I would like to confirn this in a center/hospital that I trust. My mom has an inssurance coverage with mutuelle Maroc,which is a partner with SwissLife and AXA. I wonder if she can get an international coverage with your company that will covers specialist evaluation, MRI, and oether scans if necessary. Thank you | |
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| Hi, We (Doanldson Europe BVBA in Belgium) are looking for a hosptal & medical insurance for one of our families (family van den Enden) we are relocating to Brockville, Canada. Up till now we haven't found an insurance compay willing to cover the pre-existing condition of Mrs. van den Enden which is bronchial asthma. Would you be able to offer us a solution with an insurance who is willing to cover also the pre-existing condition. Thanks in advance for your reply, Veerle Matthijs | |
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| do you have any insurance plan for Ivf treatment? Like if the first attempt is not successful then is there any plan to cover the next attempt? | |
