Health Insurance Pre-Existing Condition
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Health Insurance Pre-Existing Condition
If I see a doctor while I do not have health insurance, and I pay cash for the visit, is the doctor obligated to pass that information along to an insurance company once I do have insurance? Is there a statute that says that this information would be considered private under doctor / patient confidentiality? If they are required to pass this information along, it causes a “pre-existing condition”, especially if I see my regular doctor about an issue. Am I obligated to see some obscure doctor, and use a fake name while I am uninsured? Please help.
Asked on May 20, 2009 under Insurance Law, California
Answers:
B. B., Member, New Jersey Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 15 years ago | Contributor
I don't know that there's any requirement for the doctor you see without insurance to release that information. The problem would come when you get insurance, within a year after that treatment, and then go to a doctor for more treatment for the pre-existing condition.
However you might go about trying to evade the pre-existing condition limit to your coverage, once you have it, it's insurance fraud, and if you're caught, it can be very serious trouble.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.