West Virginia Health Insurance

Different states can often have very different health insurance regulations in place, and West Virginia is no exception.  The laws in place here aren’t especially consumer-friendly, so getting the best deal available here will tend to mean having access to useful information and a large field of companies to choose from.  To help you in this process, we offer the following rundown of significant health insurance regulations in West Virginia.

• The most important guarantee you can expect from every health insurance company that operates here is that your policy can always be renewed when it’s due to expire.  As long as you’ve paid your premiums as required, your insurer cannot prevent you from renewing your coverage.  In addition, under no circumstances may any health insurance company drop your coverage on the grounds of health complications.
• Newborns and newly-adopted children joining any West Virginia family can be assumed to automatically be covered under a parent’s health insurance, as long as that policy covers dependents.  Since this coverage lasts for at least 31 days, new parents should have ample opportunity to make proper arrangements for their new offspring.
• West Virginia defines “pre-existing conditions” as any health problem diagnosed or treated within the two years prior to the start of any new health insurance policy.  When setting up a new health plan, your insurer is permitted to designate any or all pre-existing conditions as being completely exempt from coverage for a pre-determined period of time.  This period can be months, years, or even permanent.  Fortunately, you do get to transfer credit from any previous exclusion period onto your new coverage when switching insurers.
• The availability of health insurance in West Virginia is largely unregulated by the state government, so most insurers are free to deny applications for coverage on the grounds of health, age, and other risk factors.  Costs are similarly unrestricted, and your health status can have a profound effect on how much you must pay for your chosen health coverage.
• Certain HMOs in West Virginia offer an annual open-enrollment period during which all applications are accepted regardless of health status, which can be a great help to those who might otherwise have trouble getting coverage.
• Every small business in West Virginia is guaranteed access to group health coverage, and every company having between two and fifty employees is entitled by law to purchase a policy with benefits comparable to what is enjoyed by other small businesses in the same state.  Health status, age, and demographic background of a company’s staff can affect the cost of coverage, but only within certain predetermined limits.
• In order to maintain its group health policy, a small business may be obliged to meet certain basic requirements.  These can vary, but often include a minimum level of enrollment among the company’s workforce or an employer contribution to each employee’s premiums.  Failing to meet these requirements could potentially lead to cancellation of coverage for the entire company.
• Self-employed West Virginia residents are considered eligible to purchase group coverage as a small business would, even without any other employees involved.  This option exists as an alternative to individual health insurance, which is also available to self-employed buyers.  Those who choose the latter may be able to deduct a large portion of its premiums from their taxes.

The most powerful tool for anyone participating in an active health insurance market is information, and in West Virginia knowing what you can and cannot expect from insurers can make all the difference.  As long as you’re willing to carefully investigate what is currently available to you and compare the quotes you get to offers from competitors, you will be in a good position to find exactly the kind of coverage you want at a good rate.

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