Competitor Secure 12X3 STM
originally posted: 11/22/2006 reposted: 2/18/2011 This post has not been recently reviewed or revised by the author and may be out of date. If you notice an error or are in doubt, please send a new question by email or ask for an update. Email asktony@tonynovak.com.
Q: Thanks some good info. In any case I just took out a Secure STM Short Term Plan It states it is renewable, doesn't cover pre-existing, etc. But it is not the "Competitor Secure 12x3 STM" plan you mentioned. I went there to have a look and it "appeared" to me that it stated any conditions, (not pre-existing), that you may get during the course of the plan would be covered upon renewal. I was wondering if I was wrong there number one. And number two, what is the exact difference in their standard plan which states it is renewable every year? Three, would I have been better off with the plan you mentioned above? Essentially, I never saw the plan you mentioned by the same company, until today and was wondering if I should have taken that one out instead. By the way the reason I have the Short Term, is due to a pre-existing condition I can't get traditional insurance for. I'm 50 and I had angioplasty on my leg arteries to open them up in 1997 due to a congenital defect (not heart related), but all the insurance companies won't write me a policy as they consider it the same as heart angioplasty, which it isn't, but you can't fight them on it. I was always able to get insurance up until a few years ago, and now it appears all the companies have changed their underwriting criteria.
A: Yes, most health insurers tightened their eligibility criteria after the federally mandated HIPAA policies were in effect in each state. The intent is to push higher risk applicants into an assigned risk pool which, in turn, keeps the rates lower for the majority of applicants. In your case, it seems that the "Secure 12 x 3 STM" (36 month coverage insurance) is a better choice than a 6 month short term medical plan. This plan is being reintroduced in 23 states this month.
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Competitor Secure 12x3 STM secure pricing and enrollment