Delaware Health Insurance

In Delaware, like throughout the country, people are aware of the importance of health insurance. This critical type of insurance coverage allows an individual to protect themselves and their family from the devastating effects of injury or illness. In the state there are a variety of options in health insurance that are available. The Delaware Insurance Department oversees those options and the companies that offer medical insurance to consumers.

Regulations Concerning Individual Health Insurance

Delaware Individual health insurance is an option that is becoming more popular as fewer companies offer group health insurance in Delaware. If you are seeking individual health insurance, you should note that insurers are not obligated to offer coverage to everyone who applies. Applicants must meet the company's underwriting guidelines. Those who are rejected typically have health problems or have historically had them. Insurers look at a variety of factors including age, lifestyle and health status prior to issuing policies. They will also go back 60 months in a person's health history.

Another point to note is that while the Delaware Insurance Department oversees insurers, they have not placed a cap on rates individual health insurance issuers can charge. If a person meets HIPAA guidelines and has been on a group plan for a minimum of 18 months, creditable coverage must be offered. If the applicant is not eligible according to HIPAA, the insurer can still accept them but put exclusions on the policy based on pre-existing conditions. Delaware does not limit the length of exclusions insurers can put in place.

Regulations Concerning Delaware Small Group Health Insurance

There are two types of small group medical insurance in Delaware. The most common one is for the company with 2 to 50 employees and is "guarantee issue". What this means is that employees in such firms are eligible for health insurance offered through their employer regardless of health. However, some conditions must be met by the company. It needs to have at least 2 employees working 20 hours weekly for 6 months a year or more and more than 50% of employees must be Delaware residents.

The other type of group is the "group" of 1. According to Delaware guidelines, self-employed business owners can apply for Delaware group health insurance coverage, however a medical review is applicable. If they meet the requirements of the insurer, they can choose any of the health plans bigger groups are eligible for. If they do not meet the requirements, they are often given a limited selection of "guarantee issue" plans that are available to one-person groups. These types of health insurance plans may have its enrollment period bi-annually and premiums may be up to 35% higher than standard premiums.

Delaware Cobra Coverage Continuation

When employment ends, COBRA insurance plans are available for employees of companies with more than 20 insured members. Through COBRA, they can remain on the plan for 18 to 36 months following the end of employment, subject to certain conditions. The individual needs to pay both employer and employee share of premiums and an additional administrative fee of 2%. There is no mini-COBRA plan for smaller Delaware companies.

More than 88% of the over 850,000 residents of Delaware have medical insurance according to 2008 data. This percentage increased over prior data. The state of Delaware is doing a good job making health insurance accessible for people.

More Information:

Major medical insurance
Family Medical Insurance
Group Medical Insurance