Insurance question for getting approved

OK...I am in the research phase of getting insurance now that I can afford to I am looking for an insurance company. I just got off the phone with Blue Cross Blue Shield and they asked if I was in good health condition. I told them I would at some time need two surgeries in my future. A hernia repair and I was looking into weightloss surgery. He told me it is normal policy to NOT pay anithing on prexisitng problems as it would not make good businiess so those would be exluded. Now I asked him if that was the same for all insurance companies and he told me yes. I said so ok why do people get insurance then and he said the idea is to not have a problem until after you get insurance, well lovely I should have waited to gain wait. My dillema is here, I see a ton of people getting approved on here and I highly doubt ALL of you gained all your weight after getting on insurance so how did you get approved? Do I call back and lie and tell them no I am in great health? Then wait six months or so and try to get approved then? I could go to a new doctor about the hernia I guess and tell them I have never been diagnosed with it yet......now I have not called any other insurance companies yet but I'm beginning to feel like I have to lie to them to get anything done...thoughts, suggestions???

Thanks, much appreciated....

 The preexisting clause is only for a period of time. I have seen them as low as 30 days and as high as a year and a half. What state are you going through?  It is pretty typical and the "norm" for preexisting is 1 year.  Hope this helps some. 

I am in Texas. I forgot to ask if there was a time limit on the pre-existing stuff, but the way he made it sound it was indefinite. I have also heard of time limits like a year waiting period for pre existing. I am just confused I don't want to blow getting insurance because I am too honest or not honest enough. Such a headache......and I need this surgery so bad, I have tried everything else and while my mind tells me you can do this on your own, I just know I can't. It might be different for me if I just needed to lose 50-100 lbs but I need to lose over 200 lbs and that might as well be 2000 lbs :(

Thanks for replying.

are you talking about individual insurance companies or thru your work? Most individual policies totally exclude WLS.

This would be individual insurance I am not working. I am an online student and will not be working until I start teaching in 2013/2014 sometime.

the difference is thru work vs individual.

All I can tell you is individual insurance is outrageously expensive, for my hubby and I it is $1400 a month, yes a month, and it doesn't include bariatric surgery. That option would cost you even more! So you'd do better to just put that money in the bank and save for the surgery. Very few can afford individual policies, we planned ahead and used hubbys stock sales to pay for ours.

group health policies are subject to different rules and preexisting condition rules drop away after a short time though some group health is written to exclude wls. Individual policies usually exclude wls.

See if you can find some group health coverage through some organization you belong to or through your school or if you are young enough if you can get on your parent's policy. Sometimes civic groups or professional organizations have group health plans for members even though they are not employees.

don't bother trying to conceal your health condition from a potential insurer. they will find out and disqualify you.

A few employers offer group health to even part time employees like maybe Starbucks or McDonald's. You have to pay for it but it might be worthwile.

diane

 Individual surgery is really hard to even get approved for. I tried getting it and they all told me I was too overweight!! They wouldnt take my money! It was crazy! I finally got a job that provides Cigna insurance- really great insurance! Honestly if you are more than 100lbs over weight it's really going to be hard to even find a company that will accept you. They wouldnt accept me and I was so MAD!!! The process is way faster if you are self pay....once you get the money that is. A lot of places do really good deals for like 9-11 thousand if you're self pay. Just depends on where you go.

 I meant individual insurance****