NEW RESOURCE FOR MISSOURIANS WITH PRE-EXISTING HEALTH CONDITIONS

NEW RESOURCE FOR MISSOURIANS WITH PRE-EXISTING HEALTH CONDITIONS


As you may have heard, there is a new resource available for

Missourians with pre-existing health conditions. The Missouri Health Insurance Pool, (MHIP) has run a state-mandated high-risk pool since 1991. Federal funding from the Patient Protection and

Affordable Care Act has allowed MHIP to create a second, federal pool. This new pool, funded by $81 million in federal money, offers rates about 30 percent lower than the state pool. Further, it places no restrictions on coverage of policyholders’ pre-existing conditions. To be eligible for the new federal pool, an applicant must:

Be a Missouri resident; Have a pre-existing condition; and Be without health insurance for at least the past six months.

MHIP has contracted with RightChoice, a subsidiary of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, to administer the program and Catalyst Rx to provide prescription drug coverage. The state pool has more than 4,000 members. MHIP has projected that the new federal pool can

accommodate approximately 3,600 members between now and 2014, including 1,000 members by the end of 2010. Both the

federal and state high-risk pools will be available until 2014, when the new federal law requires health insurance companies to offer coverage to all applicants, regardless of health status, at standard market rates. For more information on MHIP plans or to apply for coverage, call 800-821-2231 or visit http://mhip.org/.