PA Fair Care Insurance Covers Those Who Cannot Get Medical Insurance

In last week's blog post I mentioned a friend who might have avoided a problem if he had inspected and amended his health records. He was laid off from work, exhausted his 18 months COBRA benefits, then denied insurance on the private market due to a pre-existing condition. I also reported that he ultimately found a solution to the problem. What was his solution?

He was ultimately able to get insurance due to one of the provisions of the new Affordable Care Act. The Act provides federal support, administered by the state, to cover individuals not able to obtain medical insurance because of a "pre-existing condition."

Ironically, he got insurance from a company who had turned him down earlier while he was trying to obtain insurance on the private market. Furthermore, his premiums under the Fair Care Plan were half of what he was prepared to pay originally for private insurance. In Pennsylvania, the insurance plan is known as "Fair Care." The monthly premium is $283, and an application can be obtained here: http://www.pafaircare.com/

An Elder Law Attorney can help you with the application, you can fill it out yourself, or you can stop into your local senior center for assistance with the form. 

Should the Affordable Care Act be struck down by the United States Supreme Court, my friend and 4,816 fellow Pennsylvanians will be without health insurance again. It is estimated that 50,000 are enrolled in the program nationwide. My friend is a popular local resident who recently moved from Delaware to Montgomery County when he downsized to a smaller space. 

If you have not done so already, why not listen to the oral arguments in the historic Supreme Court Case that will decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act. They can be found here. 

I cannot download the MP3s to this site, but navigate through the site for the arguments on March 26, 27 and 28th of 2012 to find the audio files. There was a morning and afternoon argument on the 28th.  

Stay well until the next post.
- Bob Gasparro

Robert Gasparro is an Elder Practitioner (an accountant and attorney). He can be reached at robert.gasparro@lifespanlegal.com.