03-31-2013, 06:37 PM
voodoopenguin wrote:
I suppose I was wondering if obtaining health insurance might now be more difficult for those who admit they might have been placed at risk by being treated by this dentist.
Paul
Under current circumstances, health insurance providers can and do access all kinds of records to determine the risk of insuring someone.
This is done somewhat clandestinely (only bits and pieces get out now and then) so nobody can say for sure than a particular insurer is basing a decision on any particular bit of information.
The reform is aimed in part at reducing their ability to discriminate on an individual basis. Example: Currently most insurers can't exclude you for expenses related to a "pre-existing condition" if you are insured as part of a group plan (typically contracted as a whole by a large employer) but can refuse to insure you if you approach them as an individual customer.
Short answer--probably more difficult, but no way to know for sure without being a fly on the wall inside the insurance building.