High Risk Pool Offers Insurance for Those Previously Denied

New Yorkers previously closed out of the private individual health insurance market due to their medical history now have a new option: the New York Bridge Plan

“This could help thousands of New Yorkers whose health status has had them denied coverage in the past,” said Lois Wagh Aronstein, AARP New York State Director. “Our members repeatedly told lawmakers that no one should be denied coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions, and this is a good step in the right direction.”

The Pre-existing Condition Insurance Program (PCIP), funded with $35 million from the new federal health care reform law, is designed to help cover the uninsured from now until 2014, when the federal law will prohibit insurers from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions. In New York State, the PCIP plan is the NY Bridge Plan, administered by GHI, an EmblemHealth company. New York residents who have been uninsured for at least six months and have had problems finding affordable coverage because they have one or more of 40 listed conditions may be eligible.

NY Bridge Plan will cost $362 per month in upstate New York counties and $421 per month in downstate counties. Physician services are subject a $20 co-payment, and there are no deductibles.
 
For more information, call toll free 1-877-444-9622 or visit NY Bridge Plan.