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
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Why You Should Work With a Health Insurance Broker When Applying for Insurance.

Saved Brain Damage

1. By law it cost you no more to work with a broker than to deal directly with a health insurance company.

2. Working with a broker, you are much more likely to understand the plan you are applying for and thus be able to select the best combination of price [...]

“Credible Coverage” and Individual Health Insurance

Most insurance companies consider health insurance “credible” if it is a group or medically underwritten individual medical insurance policy.

Why is this important?

*If you are moving from one group (usually employer sponsored insurance) to another, and have had previous “credible coverage” that was not interrupted for a period of 63 or more days, most [...]

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 have the [...]

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 [...]