How to Get Health Insurance After Weight Loss Surgery

If you underwent weight loss surgery and face a situation in which you need a new health insurance policy, you likely have some questions. The reality is that weight loss surgery generally is not a procedure that will prevent you from obtaining health insurance in the future.

Instructions

• 1

  Apply for group health insurance coverage if that is a possibility for you. If you currently maintain group health insurance coverage (through an employer, for example) the best course to take is to obtain coverage under another group plan. Federal law in the United States since the latter part of the 1990s allows you to move from one group insurance policy to another (provided there is not interruption in coverage) and face no exclusions or waiting periods. In such a situation, your coverage will be seamless and the new health insurer accepts you as-is because it is required by law to cover everyone in the group.

• 2

  Seek quotes for individual health insurance coverage if you lack access to group health insurance. Although in most cases you will end up paying more for an individual policy than with a group plan, you likely will be able to find appropriate coverage.

• 3

  Locate any exclusions for pre-existing conditions in the policies you are considering. The weight loss surgery itself and issues directly related to that procedure will be considered a pre-existing condition. Not all policies permanently exclude coverage for a pre-existing condition; some impose a waiting period--normally two years. During this time you will not receive coverage for any costs incurred as a result of the previous weight loss surgery.

• 4

  Disclose the weight loss surgery in your application. If you fail to disclose this surgery--or any other health condition, disease, treatment or procedure you experienced--the insurance company will drop coverage if it is discovered at a later date.