Co-Founder, TermInsuranceBrokers.com, Goldenzweig Financial Group, Las Vegas, Nevada
Under the affordable care act, health plans are, in short, guaranteed issue (when you apply during the annual open enrollment period or if you apply under a qualifying special enrollment period). You cannot be denied coverage for any pre-existing conditions or other health-related issues and you do not have to take an exam to secure coverage.
So to answer your questions...none. Health insurance companies cannot test you for drugs to secure a policy. If you're applying for another type of coverage such as life insurance or disability insurance, you would have to take a medical exam.
I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for help and if you have any other questions. Thanks very much.
I am presuming that you are asking about tests for illegal drug consumption and not just prescription medications in general. As far as health insurance goes this is a non-issue. An applicant for health insurance is not subjected to any physical exams or blood or urine tests as a condition for being offered health insurance coverage. While in the past there may have been questions regarding illegal drug usage on a health insurance application that if answered truthfully by a drug user could have resulted in their being declined for coverage in the individual health insurance market we have moved past that now. As the Affordable Care Act prohibits medical underwriting and requires policies to be guaranteed to be issued regardless of pre-existing conditions there are no such questions to be answered now.
Ironically, in the individual health insurance marketplace the only drug that you can be asked about and perhaps penalized for in the form of higher premiums is for tobacco use. No questions are asked about marijuana, cocaine or other drugs.
This is different from applying for life insurance where in many cases a physical exam that may include drawing blood and/or taking a urine sample are part of the underwriting process. With the expanded number of states that have approved marijuana for medical usage and the outright legalization that Colorado and Washington are now experimenting with the life insurance industry is having to adjust to this changing legal environment in their underwriting practices. Different life insurance carriers are addressing the marijuana usage issue in different ways so there is no universal standard being applied to this issue and it is an area where a great deal of evolution is currently underway and probably will be for years to come.
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So to answer your questions...none. Health insurance companies cannot test you for drugs to secure a policy. If you're applying for another type of coverage such as life insurance or disability insurance, you would have to take a medical exam.
I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for help and if you have any other questions. Thanks very much.
Ironically, in the individual health insurance marketplace the only drug that you can be asked about and perhaps penalized for in the form of higher premiums is for tobacco use. No questions are asked about marijuana, cocaine or other drugs.
This is different from applying for life insurance where in many cases a physical exam that may include drawing blood and/or taking a urine sample are part of the underwriting process. With the expanded number of states that have approved marijuana for medical usage and the outright legalization that Colorado and Washington are now experimenting with the life insurance industry is having to adjust to this changing legal environment in their underwriting practices. Different life insurance carriers are addressing the marijuana usage issue in different ways so there is no universal standard being applied to this issue and it is an area where a great deal of evolution is currently underway and probably will be for years to come.