Inclusive Health provides options for those with pre-existing conditions

Getting any health insurance can be a challenge if you have a pre-existing condition, but now North Carolinians have a new option. It is called Inclusive Health, and it is making life more enjoyable for people who have struggled to get covered in the past.

After Jill Notter retired, she was no longer covered by her health insurance. She signed up for COBRA, and was covered by that for 18 months. “I had had my left hip replaced in April of 2007 shortly before the cobra ran out, so nobody would even touch me with a ten foot pole,” she said.

With that pre-existing condition, Jill could not find reasonable coverage, until she learned about Inclusive Health, which held an information event at New Hanover Regional Medical Center Tuesday.

“I got the coverage immediately on day one when it went into effect, and I was able to have my second hip replacement this past April and get on with my life,” said Notter.

Inclusive Health Executive Director Michael Keough said, “It’s basically people who, based on their pre-existing conditions, find that when they apply for coverage, are either denied coverage in the commercial market or are given a rate that is two or three-thousand dollars a month.”

Insurance premium taxes pay for the state-subsidized program, for which an estimated 200,000 North Carolinians are eligible. “It’s going to lower the number of uninsured in North Carolina and it’s going to lower healthcare costs for everybody,” stated Hughes Waren of NC Association of Health Underwriters.

Jill pays almost $600 a month in premiums and has a $500 deductible. She is thankful to now be able to enjoy leading a comfortable life. “The first thing I did after I threw the cane away was walk to the beach, which I hadn’t been able to do in years.”

North Carolina is the 35th state to have a program like this, which went into effect in January.

You can find more information on Inclusive Health at www.inclusivehealth.org or call 1-866-665-2117.