Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a medical condition which has puzzled the medical field for many years now. There are many reasons for such puzzlement and the major ones include the fact that there are many symptoms of this disorder and it is still unknown what causes fibromyalgia to occur and persist. This is why insurance companies view a pre-existing condition of fibromyalgia to be a red flag during the application process and may impose restrictions on coverage for that particular individual or deny them coverage altogether.

• Fibromyalgia symptoms and treatments
• Difficulties obtaining health insurance
• Health coverage options for people with fibromyalgia

Symptoms and Treatment of Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a medical condition which is not deemed to be life threatening in nature but is a chronic disorder which plagues those afflicted with it for a long period of time. The symptoms which go along with the diagnosis of fibromyalgia are voluminous in nature but some of the more often cited ones include muscle pain, tender spots throughout the body, fatigue and sleep disturbances. Depending on the severity of such a condition, the individual may feel bad only in certain parts of their body or experience constant aching all throughout the body. The disturbing part about this illness is that since doctors are unaware of a direct cause of such a condition they are unable to find the perfect solution to resolve the fibromyalgia once and for all.

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Problems Faced When Applying for Health Insurance With Fibromyalgia

When filling out the application form with a particular insurance company and listing fibromyalgia as a pre-existing condition, you may find that you are faced with certain hurdles to jump. Since fibromyalgia has an unknown cause, no concrete solution and many symptoms attached to it, the insurance company simply knows that they will be faced with numerous health insurance claims related to treatment for such an illness. For this reason, the insurance company may place restrictions on the insurance policy which is offered to you or deny coverage due to the fact that offering health insurance to such an individual is simply too risky.

Insurance Options for Those With Fibromyalgia

If one has had creditable health insurance prior to applying for insurance with a new group health plan, there are certain safeguards put in place by a federal law known as HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA requires that so long as the individual has had 12 months of nonstop prior insurance coverage, then the new group health plan is unable to put the insured on a waiting period prior to covering their pre-existing condition. This means that if you have fibromyalgia and are applying for a new group health insurance plan, you cannot be denied immediate coverage for the pre-existing condition if your prior health insurance policy was in effect for 12 months prior to that time.

For those who are going to apply with a private health insurance carrier and not use a group health plan, you may still be able to have the fibromyalgia treatments covered if you pay a higher premium. High risk insurance pools also present an option for individuals who have no other place to turn. These are run by the individual states and present an option for those wishing to obtain coverage, although the cost may be high.

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