Welcome to my Observations on Health Insurance Blog

With this blog I want to share with you my thoughts and perceptions of the ever changing world of Individual Health Insurance in the state of Colorado. I hope to be able to bring you new information, as well as possible different perspectives on an industry I am involved with every day.

Charley Mallon
Boulder, Colorado
Charley Mallon on Twitter

Gap in Previous Health Insurance Coverage

Hobbes vs Boyle Photo

Some individual health insurance companies will penalize you if you have had a period of 90 days or more without medical coverage prior to applying for a new policy. I suppose their rational is that there is a greater likelihood for someone who has not been previously covered to postpone [...]

On Line Health Insurance Quotes

If your in-box is anything like mine, you are receiving an endless stream of offers for on-line health insurance quotes. If you are perfectly healthy and know enough about health insurance to be able to select a plan that is well suited for your situation, then this system will work well for you.

However, if [...]

Use of Tobacco Greatly Increases Health Insurance Premiums

Kick the habit

If the health risks associated with the use of tobacco are not enough to get a person to consider stopping, perhaps the monetary penalties will tip the scale. Not only does a tobacco consumer (cigarettes, cigars, pipe, chew, dip, etc.) have to pay for the cost of the product and all [...]

How Long Will It Take For My Health Insurance Application To Be Approved?

I am often asked how long it takes to get an application for health insurance approved. The answer is always the same, “it depends on how long the insurance company takes to review or “underwrite” the information you submit. Underwriting is a term insurance companies use that basically means “background check.” Individual health insurance companies [...]

What should you do if you are Denied for Individual Health Insurance

When a health insurance company receives your application for health insurance, their underwriters review it to see if it meets their guidelines for coverage.

If, due to pre-existing medical or lifestyle conditions, you do not meet their requirements, your application may be declined.

My first advice, if you are declined, is to request that your [...]

How do “Pre-Existing Conditions” Affect My Application for Individual Health Insurance?

When one applies for individual health insurance, the plans are “underwritten” to determine if the applicant qualifies for coverage. If “pre-existing” medical or lifestyle conditions exist, the applications might be “rated-up,” have a condition “excluded” or “denied.”

Issued Standard is the best outcome of an application. It means the policy has been issued, at the [...]