It's Finally Here!! PA's Health Insurance Plan for Adult's with Pre-Existing Conditions!!

Submitted by pahealth on August 2, 2010 - 1:20pm

I received this email from the PA Insurance Department today. The department will start excepting applications for the Pre-Existing Insurance Plans this week!! You can go here to apply.www.PAFairCare.com

We are pleased to announce a new program offered by the Insurance Department called PA Fair Care – Pennsylvania’s health plan for uninsured adults with pre-existing conditions.

PA Fair Care will be administered statewide through a contract with Highmark Blue Shield. Benefits will include preventive care, physician services, diagnostic testing, hospitalization, mental health services and prescriptions. The cost to enrollees is a subsidized premium of $283.20 monthly.

To be eligible for PA Fair Care, applicants must:

o Be a U.S. citizen or lawful resident

o Be a Pennsylvania resident

o Have a pre-existing health condition

o Be uninsured for the previous six months

PA Fair Care will begin taking applications on Wed., Aug. 4, after 8:30 a.m. To apply, applications can be completed online at www.PAFairCare.com, or those without internet access may apply with assistance from the toll free helpline – 1-888-767-7015 (TTY 1-888-767-7018) Monday thru Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Attached you’ll find a flyer about PA Care Fair. We encourage you to forward the flyer to other members of your staff, clients, stakeholder’s, etc. More information about the program can be found at www.PaFairCare.com or by calling 1-888-767-7015.

Comments

Finding Health Options in PA

Submitted by pahealth on February 1, 2011 - 7:47pm.

Somehow we missed these comments when they came in and I'm very sorry for that! We recently added a new section on our website to help folks connect with and investigate health care options in their area: http://www.pahealthaccess.org/finding-health-insurance-pa.

The 6-month waiting period (I think) was a way to ensure that the most vulnerable people were being helped first--those with serious pre-existing conditions who had been uninsured for a longer period of time. What's happened though, is that a lot of folks with serious conditions can't afford to have no insurance, so they're caught between getting price-gouged (paying 800-1200/month) or risking dropping their coverage for 6-month and then enrolling in Fair Care.

There are discussions happening about reducing the 6-month period, but you're right that as far as we know right now, it would take a full vote in the Congress to change that.

Several of our partner organizations have consumer helplines to help folks find health care they can afford, so please contact us directly to talk about your individual situation in more detail, and hopefully we can help.

Contact Antoinette at 267-971-1680, akraus@philaup.org or Erin at 412-512-9225, egill@pahealthaccess.org as soon as you can.

Hope to talk to you soon!

Erin

cannot afford Fair Care rate

Submitted by Christine (not verified) on August 14, 2010 - 8:27pm.

Help! Unemployed for the last 2 years, on PA Basic's wait list for even longer (because previous employer did not offer health care), what is available for people like us?

cant afored premium for fair care

Submitted by Eugene Layton (not verified) on February 21, 2011 - 2:04pm.

I have only been able to find part time employment for the last several year and these companies do not offer coverage. I have a pre existing condition of degenarative disc disease in my cervical spine and I have been without insurance for over two years and I have constant pain but I still work to try and support my family and I really need some kind of assistance with this if at all possible. It seems like the system has no problem helping the free loaders out there but those of us out there really trying to support ourselves and our families can get no help for some reason and this is just not right. thank You,Eugene

Help from a Health Care Navigator

Submitted by pahealth on March 15, 2011 - 1:48am.

Hi Eugene,

I'm so sorry to hear about your struggle--I know there are thousands of folks in the state in the exact same position and that's why we've been and will continue to fight for adultBasic and to make sure the Affordable Care Act is implemented in PA (not repealed or defunded as opponents are pushing to do).

In the meantime, you should get in touch with one of our health care navigators--they can help you look for coverage options that might work, based on your income and health status. Contact Consumer Health Coalition at 412-456-1877 or the Pennsylvania Health Law Project at 1-800-274-3258 as soon as you can.

You can also email me at egill@pahealthaccess.org, I'm the Western PA Organizer for PHAN.

Talk to you soon!

I've had no insurance for 3 mos, so I'm not eligible?

Submitted by Kas V (not verified) on August 2, 2010 - 2:56pm.

My Cobra ran out the end of May. In May I had to have a cardiac ablation for V-Tachs. My left carotid is 100% closed, my right 50% closed. I have osteopenia, hyperparathyroidism, and high blood sugar to name a few pre-existings. I can't afford the $600 for the HIPPA conversion, so I'm without insurance. Why the 6 month w/o insurance clause? Is it to protect the insurance companies from a mass exodus to affordable care?

6 month waiting period

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on August 29, 2010 - 12:54am.

I'm not sure there would have been a mass exodus since the overall funding was looking to cover 200,000 maximum across the country, and I'm sure insurance companies would not mind sicker people leaving their ranks...so the oppossite is likley the case...that insurance companies couldn't enourage people to leave for the high risk pool option. In cany case, for whatever reason, the 6 month waiting period was part of the law enacted by Congress. Moreover, the law specifies that not even the Secretary of Health and Human Serives can make exceptions to that provision. For any individual to be given special consideration and enroll without waiting 6 months, it would literally require an Act of Congress.