HIPAA is the health insurance portability and accountability act. When you lose your employer group health insurance coverage due to loss of your job, you have a guaranteed right to continue your coverage.
Portability rights extend to all covered family members individually and collectively. Your "portable" coverage is the same plan as offered through your employer. Your COBRA coverage will expire in most cases after 18 months.
Agent Owner, Gilmore Insurance Services, Marysville, Washington State
The idea behind portability is as follows: If a person has carried coverage (been insured) prior to starting with another health plan elsewhere, they should not be punished by having a pre-existing condition schedule applied to them as they have no gap in coverage. The idea behind Portability is wing walking, moving from one wing to the other without falling off of either plane.
When you apply for coverage, the new provider will ask for a certificate of prior coverage. They will use that as proof and waive any pre-existing condition clauses on the new policy.
That is a great question! In Insurance speak, "portability" means the coverage travels with you. The typical health insurance policy that is employer issued ( a part of your benefit package at work) will not be portable, because it ends (COBRA notwithstanding) when your employment does. A policy purchased through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) marketplace (www.healthcare.gov) on the other hand is portable, since it is tied to you, and not your employer. As a result, you can switch jobs without having to re-insure each time. I hope that helps - thanks for asking!
.JPG){kind=avatar}
Portability rights extend to all covered family members individually and collectively. Your "portable" coverage is the same plan as offered through your employer. Your COBRA coverage will expire in most cases after 18 months.
When you apply for coverage, the new provider will ask for a certificate of prior coverage. They will use that as proof and waive any pre-existing condition clauses on the new policy.