How does health insurance work if you get very ill

[octothorpe]

Let's say you have insurance through either employer or individually, but then you are diagnosed with a disease that pretty much makes you unable to work. If you lose your job or simply are unable to pay for your individual insurance premiums because of the illness, does the insurance company still have pay for your treatments if you're unable to pay your premiums anymore? I'm thinking the answer is yes. If that's the case, how long will they treat it and what if there are other problems that arise during the treatment?

[valerief]

1. I think the problem has been that even if you pay your premiums, the insurance companies

don't cover treatments.

[handmade34]

2. insurance companies

don't HAVE to do anything... well, with "Obamacare" in place there are some rules... but the history is that usually insurance companies could always find some reason not to pay a claim if they didn't want to (or cost to much)...

...and no matter... if you can't pay your premium, insurance companies can cut you off...

...and then any medical care provided is paid for by taxpayers... another good reason for the ACA (or better still single payer; universal care)

[slipslidingaway]

4. They can just harass you and try to not cover items ...

and play with your emotional well being, as if the fragile physical state was not enough. The Dems really needed to highlight these issues of the for profit system, IMHO they failed miserably, and then invited them to the table.

[slipslidingaway]

3. If you cannot pay the premiums then I would think you have to find other coverage ...

through a government program.

I doubt the for profit insurance companies would continue to cover you one second longer than they had to and I do not think that has changed with the ACA.

Even before the ACA, two-thirds of those who went bankrupt due to medical expenses Had coverage when they were initially diagnosed.

Due to lost wages, out of pocket expenses and a myriad of other costs that hardly get factored into the equation they could not make ends meet. The item in the ACA that might help is the lifetime cap, but many will have already gone through any cash they had before reaching that cap and who knows what obstacles the for profit companies will put in your way as you reach that cap. Someone's insurance company was giving them a hard time about a follow up bone marrow biopsy after bone marrow transplant for leukemia, then the insurance company starting giving them a hard time about routine complete blood counts.

[FarLeftFist]

5. Before or after Obamacare?

[slipslidingaway]

7. Taking the example in the OP, how has it changed that much before or after the ACA ...

"Let's say you have insurance through either employer or individually, but then you are diagnosed with a disease that pretty much makes you unable to work. If you lose your job or simply are unable to pay for your individual insurance premiums because of the illness, does the insurance company still have pay for your treatments if you're unable to pay your premiums anymore? I'm thinking the answer is yes. If that's the case, how long will they treat it and what if there are other problems that arise during the treatment?"

You are unable to pay as you've lost your job and cannot pay for a private plan, even if you can get some type of subsidy to buy a private plan and had some savings, you are not employed. The yearly annual out pocket maximums and your part of the premium would drain the savings and the end result would be to go on a government program. What changed? Other than you need to find new docs/hospitals???

[octothorpe]

9. So basically we curl up and die?

Although, I do recall reading that under the ACA, people who make below 133% of the poverty level will be eligible for medicaid. Or am misunderstanding how that works?

[WillowTree]

6. If you don't pay your premiums, you will be terminated for non-payment.

They're not going to cover you for free, with or without Obamacare.

[slipslidingaway]

8. Bingo! Nothing changed in that regard. n/t

[w8liftinglady]

10. you have to pay your premiums..even if you go on SSDI

They CAN NOT Drop you.
I nearly starved when I had my brain surgery,et al...
But,I got top of the line care because of my insurance.