Health Insurance Coverage for Chronic Conditions

Being diagnosed with a chronic condition can be a scary thing to face. By definition, a chronic disease is an illness or condition that you will face for the rest of your life. Depending on the disease, you may have to make life-changing accommodations in order to better cope with your diagnosis. 

At the same time, you may be worried about finding health insurance if you change or lose your job since you've now been saddled with a pre-existing condition in the eyes of many insurers. If you're seeking health insurance coverage for a chronic condition, here's what you need to know.

Most Common Chronic Conditions

Some of the most common chronic conditions include Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, cancer, asthma, and diabetes. It's probably likely that someone in your family has faced one of these conditions, which can help you feel less alone. 

For some diseases, such as Alzheimer's or certain eating disorders, you may even be able to enroll in a support group where others facing the same medical complications can openly discuss their struggles and the paths they've taken to overcome their diseases. 

It's important to remember that even though a chronic illness might not have a cure, many diseases can have their symptoms minimized with the proper treatment. One example of this is arthritis, which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention states affects over fifty million people or more than 23 percent of the adult population. 

While there isn't a cure for arthritis yet, many patients are able to go into remission thanks to advances in medical treatment. Including powerful biological medications like Humira or Peyronie's disease surgery for those facing erectile problems. These sorts of treatments can help you mitigate painful symptoms so that you can live the life you've grown accustomed to prior to your diagnosis.

Finding The Right Insurer

Unfortunately, just because certain prescriptions exist to help you face a chronic illness doesn't mean that everyone can afford them. To continue with the example of Humira for patients with arthritis, a monthly supply of two injectable Humira pens can cost up to $5,400 if you don't have insurance. That means that for one year of treatment, you would need to pay over $60,000 out of pocket if you lived in the United States! Insurance from companies like Agile Health Insurance can help lower that cost significantly. In fact, the average cost of short-term insurance from a company like Agile is usually under $100 a month. Manufacturer AbbVie also offers a co-pay card to help lower the price of Humira if you have insurance, sometimes to as low as only five dollars a month. When you add that monthly cost to what you're already paying in insurance, you may only be paying $105 a month for treatment for your chronic illness. That's less than 2 percent of the cost of the medication if you aren't insured, and unfortunately, these prices aren't unique to just arthritis. The same can be said for chemotherapy drugs and rescue inhalers, both of which you may need if you are facing chronic conditions like cancer or asthma. 

There are plenty of other benefits to choosing an insurer like Agile, particularly if you're about to try a treatment out on a short-term basis. In addition to short-term insurance options, Agile also provides health benefit indemnity insurance for common medical events with over 5,000 options. This can help you find the right plan for you and your medical needs. Best of all, the online application process is simple and straightforward. Some customers are able to get their insurance cards within minutes of being approved, allowing them to get started on treatment for their chronic condition in no time at all.