Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has initiated the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) (part of the health-care reform legislation). PCIP provides health insurance coverage to individuals who have been unable to receive health insurance for at least six months, due to a pre-existing medical condition. PCIP is expected to last until 2014, at which time health insurance providers will no longer be able to deny coverage to individuals based on their health (medical underwriting).Twenty-nine states plus the District of Columbia will run their own plans, while the remaining states' PCIPs will be administered by the federal government. The cost of insurance under the PCIP is not based on health or income and is expected to be comparable to rates in a state's commercial market. Uninsured individuals can get more information from the government's new website, http://www.healthcare.gov/.