Crohn's's Disease - Limited Options for Health Insurance for Chronic Illnesses

Crohn's's disease is an inflammation of the intestines. It might also affect the entire gastrointestinal tract. It is also known as granulomatous enteris and/or colitis. Symptoms of the disease include pain in the abdomen, diarrhea and vomiting. It is a painful, unpleasant condition that most definitely requires medical care. Since there is no cure for Crohn's's disease, the most a doctor can do for any sufferer is to control his symptoms and seek remission of the condition. Although Crohn's's disease can develop in people of all ages, it often strikes those in their teens and twenties. What a diagnosis of Crohn's's disease means is that the person will need significant medical care throughout their life to maintain their health and avoid the symptoms of Crohn's disease.

Often, a diagnosis of Crohn's disease in one's late teens and early twenties means that it is unlikely that the person will qualify for private health insurance unless that person obtains a position in a large company where a group major medical policy is provided. Otherwise, a person with Crohn's disease will likely be denied medical coverage based upon a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies don't want to insure those who they know will be making pricey health insurance claims. A person with Crohn's disease will need to see a doctor relatively often and will likely need to buy prescription drugs in order to stay in remission from the disease. In a perfect world, everyone with Crohn's disease will have a job at a big company and will be covered by a group health insurance policy.

What if that person loses his job at the big company though? In this economy, it is not unheard of for large companies to cut workers to save the bottom line. One safeguard against being uninsured is COBRA. Every employer with over twenty employees is required by federal law to offer extended coverage to former employees for a specified period of time. Of course, that coverage is at a higher premium that most people can afford. If you have Crohn's disease, however, it may be the best bet for you to maintain your health coverage until you get a new job with another big company.

President Barack Obama has offered some light at the end of the tunnel for sufferers of chronic illnesses that require constant medical attention such as Crohn's disease. Last year, President Obama set about to make sure that everyone will get health care in the United States in the near future. In fact, the health care reforms have made it illegal as of October, 2010, to deny coverage for a pre-existing condition of a person under the age of 19. In 2014, it will be illegal to deny coverage for a pre-existing condition of any person whatsoever. In that way, you won't need a good job to get health insurance.