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Hi.
I'm a former insurance agent in California, currently living in New Mexico.
Your best bet is to find a group plan you can join because they definitely make it harder if you choose an individual plan.
Pre-existing conditions clauses still apply even with most group plans, but at least they'll cover you after you go through a waiting period. But...it can be six months to two years. And they can put a permanent rider on *any* policy for a serious medical problem.
There are a couple of things to think about. National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) has a plan. Not self-employed? You can be. You can start you own rose-sitting service, or your own Bush-impeaching advisory service. You can join an MLM and you might get rich, and you might not, but you might get health insurance. There's another association for self-employed, called The Alliance (something like that). Get a business license if you need to, and start some kind of business. It might help.
I heard that the Chambers of Commerce in some places offers group coverage.
Here in NM, they have created health insurance for small businesses. Two to xxx employees. They have a plan with no questions asked about prior health problems. Great, huh? (It's only $950 a month and up.)
I heard that the State of Maine is progressive and trying to cover all their people. San Francisco has just passed legislation for universal coverage.
And, there's always Canada, and don't think I haven't thought of it for that reason alone.
I don't mean to be flip here. I could share my own horror story about my situation over the last two years.
Years ago, I met a young woman from Israel, who became my closest friend. We were both selling medical insurance at the time. She said one day, "It is ridiculous that a country as rich as the U.S. cannot organize itself to take care of the health of its people."
I remember that it struck me as *so* odd that she would say that, and I also remember having this feeling that I had *never* considered it my right to have health insurance. She woke me up that day. I'm still awake! And I'm pissed that we all have so much to worry about!!!!
Judy Barrett
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