How long does it take to get approved?
Customers have legitimate questions about how long it will take to hear back from
the insurance carrier once they have completed an application. Nearly everyone asks,
"How long does it take to get approved?"
The truth is it varies. If you submit a 'clean' application, with little or no health
history, and are fairly young, it is common to be approved in less than five working
days from the time the application is submitted online through HealthInsurancePlus.com.
What could delay my approval?
If you submit only partial information, or information that requires corroboration
from your doctors office, the follow-up process can more than double the time.
In more complicated cases where medical records must be requested from multiple
sources, or out of state. It is not unheard of for the application to remain pending
in underwriting for three weeks or more waiting for medical records from your doctor's
office. So if you are submitting an application for coverage, and you know medical
records will be requested, it is a good idea to contact your doctors office yourself.
Also, applying later in the month sometimes slows down the underwriting process.
For example, completing an application online on the 31st for coverage to start
on the 1st generally means that you are behind applications that were submitted
before the 20th of the month. However, applying online at HealthInsurancePlus.com
on the 31st is better than completing an application and mailing it on the 31st.
Applications submitted online are already 'keyed in' bypassing an additional step
associated with traditional paper applications. Also, paper applications completed
and mailed on the 31st are coming in the mail which adds yet another couple of days
to the process. Plus once received by the carrier, they have the additional step
of having to be 'keyed in' before being forwarded to underwriting.
Another problem occasionally occurs is when the signature on the original application
or online submitted application is over sixty days from the final assigned effective
date. In this case it is common for the carrier to request a signed statement, or
re-signed application, with an updated signature date. All the above described problems
with carriers are easily handled between you and HealthInsurancePlus.com to try
and expedite the application process as much as possible.
The good news is that after an approval that is given after a requested effective
date, the carrier will either honor the original requested effective date on the
application, or give you an option of having the policy go into force on the next
available effective date.
How can HealthInsurancePlus.com help me get approved for my health plan?
HealthInsurancePlus.com tracks the average process time for applications we submit
to carriers. We also watch the percentage of declinations and how long the underwriting
process takes from date submitted to final decision for Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue
Shield, Pacificare, Health Net, Kaiser Permanente and Nationwide. If you have pre-existing
conditions that you suspect may make it difficult to qualify for individually underwritten
health insurance, HealthInsurancePlus.com suggests you contact us so we can use
our field underwriting guides to see which carriers most receptive to your particular
condition or medication. Also, we are connected with every carrier to be able to
track your application through underwriting, and pass that information back to you,
our customer.
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