Where Are The High-Risk Insurance Pools?

With the July 1 deadline for states to apply for part of the $5 billion set aside for the high-risk insurance pool program fast approaching, many states are still in the process of putting a plan together. “Everyone is right in the middle of this,” said Richard Cauchi, health program director with the National Conference of State Legislatures. “It’s a very fast-paced process.”

High-risk pools are insurance plans designed to cover individuals deemed to otherwise be uninsurable, typically due to pre-existing conditions. The health care reform law bars insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions as part of broader changes in the insurance market, which will take effect in a few years. The high-risk pools are designed to bridge the gap in the meantime.

Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, a Republican running for the gubernatorial nomination, recently declared that his state would not be applying for the federal money.