How to Get Health Insurance for Someone With Huntington's

Huntington's disease is a genetic disorder which causes nerve cells of the brain to degenerate. People with this disease require ongoing medical care in order to treat the disease. There is no cure for Huntington's disease, however, a variety of medications, including co-enzyme Q10, tetrabenazine and amantadine, are used in order to slow the progression of the disease and allow the patient to remain as functional as possible for as long as possible. Obtaining medical care without health insurance has the potential of being cost prohibitive, though many people with Huntington's disease have a difficult time acquiring health insurance due to their disease being a pre-existing condition.

Instructions

• 1

  Contact your state's risk pool health insurance representative (go onlie to healthinsurance.org/risk_pools). A total of 34 states offer health insurance to those that are uninsurable due to having a pre-existing medical condition, such as Huntington's disease.

• 2

  Contact the Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA). Their website is hdsa.org. HDSA offers a variety of medical resources. They offer group health insurance plans in some states for people with Huntington's disease.

• 3

  Apply for Social Security Disability (online at ssa.gov). People who are approved for Social Security Disability are automatically eligible for Medicare after a 24-month waiting period.

• 4

  Apply for Medicaid through your state's welfare office. Medicaid is a federally funded, state-managed program that offers health insurance to people with disabilities or low income.