"Most insurance companies use one of two definitions to identify such conditions. Under the "objective standard" definition, a pre-existing condition is any condition for which the patient has already received medical advice or treatment prior to enrollment in a new medical insurance plan. Under the broader, "prudent person" definition, a pre-existing condition is anything for which symptoms were present and a prudent person would have sought treatment."
Jorge, that ain't 4% of us. But if you've got proof to the contrary, show us!
Jorge is basically right about the 4%. Remember that people with group insurance (which is the vast majority of people) are not subject to pre-existing condition exclusions. That's been illegal since the ERISA law was passed in the 1970's. That leaves the 9% who have individual coverage. Only a minority of these folks would have a preexisting condition significant enough to get an exclusion from an insurance company. So we're talking about a relatively small number of people. Also, most states have laws that prevent insurance companies from dropping you unless you fail to pay your premium or lied on your application form. There are lots of horror stories out there about insurance companies dropping people but most are bogus if you actually know all the details.
