If your health coverage ends because you lost your job, you can continue with your plan for 18 months under the federal COBRA law. Texas law requires that some group plans allow you to keep your plan for another six months after COBRA coverage ends. If you don't qualify for COBRA, you may still be able to keep your plan while you're still in the state. If you continue with your plan, you will have to pay the premium. Ask your former employer about these options.
Most plans have an appeals process if a claim is denied. If you appealed to your health plan and are not satisfied, you may be able to request an external review by an independent group. For more information on that process, visit the federal external review process website. Those without insurance coverage tend to have a much worse state of health than their insured counterparts. This website may not show all the data on qualified health plans offered in your state through the health insurance marketplace website.
The TDI regulates individual and certain employers' health insurance and can help you with complaints related to those plans. For more information on other types of health coverage, visit the health care coverage guide. Health plans that meet all requirements applicable to other qualified health plans (QHP), but do not cover any benefits other than 3 primary care visits per year before meeting the plan's deductible. Texas has the highest percentage and number of people without health insurance in the United States, which could cause long-term damage to the state's economy, according to a study released this week by the Texas Health Care Alliance.
Uninsured people are a diverse group that includes people who cannot afford private health insurance; who work in small businesses that don't offer insurance; who simply choose not to buy health insurance, even if they can afford it; who are eligible, but are not enrolled in government-sponsored programs, such as Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP); and recent immigrants. Workers in Texas are less likely to have employment-based health insurance coverage than those in other states. In addition, since more healthy people get health insurance, health insurance companies could lower premiums for everyone. The ACA had an individual mandate, which meant that all Americans had to have health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Based on people's age and medical history, insurance companies would deny them health care coverage or charge them more for it.
Most insurance companies only sell health plans during an open enrollment period that begins in November. Insurance companies cannot set dollar limits on how much they will pay for the covered health care you receive in a year or throughout your life. To see all available data on qualified health plan options in your state, visit the Health Insurance Marketplace website at HealthCare. People who earn moderate or low wages are much less likely to have employment-based health insurance coverage than those who earn more. And this means that, in those places, you must still have health insurance or pay a penalty on your income tax return for the tax year in which you did not have minimum essential coverage.
