California Health Insurance Quote.

By completing the form above you will get a free comparative health insurance quote from national carries with local agents licensed to provide quotes in California. There is absolutely no obligating to purchase and the process is fast, easy, and FREE.

When you speak with your local agent remember to ask about Dental, Vision, Life and other ancillary products that are often available to health insurance policy holders at affordable rates.

Having health insurance can quite possibly save you a great deal of money. But to maximize the amount you can potentially save, you must compare health insurance benefits and rates. The best CA health insurance quotes are available here, to get started fill out our quote form and you can easily secure the cheapest insurance rates from top health insurance companies today.

California Health Insurance Information and Resources:

California Small Business Health Insurance.

Federal law extends certain protections to small businesses seeking to buy health insurance in California for themselves and their workers. California has enacted reforms to expand some of these protections. Generally, small businesses are those that employ 2-50 employees. Please note, however, that the definitions of small business and employee are somewhat different under federal and state law. Check with the California Department of Insurance or the Department of Managed Health Care to be sure that you know which protections apply to your group. As a small business in California, you can be charged higher premiums within limits because someone in your group is seriously ill. You can also be charged somewhat more due to the age and family size of those in your group and where your small business is located. For groups with more than fifty employees, California does not limit premium variation or increases. With few exceptions, small businesses are guaranteed issue and cannot be turned down. Your California group health insurance is guaranteed renewable and cannot be canceled because someone in your group becomes sick.

California Self Employed Health Insurance.

If you are self-employed with no other workers, you are not eligible to buy a small business health insurance on your own. Therefore, the laws that protect employers’ access to California group health insurance plans do not apply to you. Your access to small business health insurance coverage is protected by the laws that apply to individuals If you are self-employed and buy your own health insurance, you are eligible to deduct 100% of your premium from your federal income tax. Some small businesses, self-employed people, and other individuals buy health insurance through professional or trade associations.

California Health Insurance – Know Your Rights.

All health insurance plans in California must limit exclusion of pre-existing conditions. If your children are 18 years old or younger, do not have California health insurance and meet other qualifications, they may be eligible to buy health insurance in California through the Healthy Families Program. If you have low or modest household income, you may be eligible for free or subsidized California health insurance coverage for yourself or members of your family. If you leave your job, you may be able to remain in your old California group health insurance plan for a certain period of time. If you have had at least three months of coverage under a fully insured California group health insurance plan and then lose it, you may be able to buy an individual health policy from the company that provided your California group coverage. If you have to take leave from your job due to illness, the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for a seriously ill family member, you may be able to keep your California group health insurance coverage for a limited time. Your health insurance in California cannot be canceled because you get sick. If you have lost your California health insurance and are receiving benefits from the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program then you may be eligible for a federal income tax credit to help pay for new California health insurance. If you lose your California group health insurance and meet the minimum qualifications, you will be eligible for HIPAA in California. If you have had difficulty obtaining affordable individual health coverage in California because of your health condition, you may be eligible for Major Risk Medical Insurance Program (MRMIP) coverage for up to thirty six months. Coverage under your California group health plan cannot be denied or limited, nor can you be required to pay more, because of your state of health. If you are a retiree aged 55-65 and receiving pension benefits from Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC), then you may also be eligible for the HCTC in California. If you are a small employer buying a fully insured small group health plan in California, you cannot be turned down because of the health condition, age, or any factor that might predict the use of health services of those in your group.

California Health Insurance Law Limitations.

If you change jobs, your new employer may not offer you California health insurance benefits. If you get a new job with health insurance benefits, your coverage may not start right away. If you change jobs, you usually cannot take your old California group health insurance coverage with you, except when you exercise your COBRA or Cal-COBRA rights. If you have a break in coverage of 63 days or more, you may have to satisfy a new pre-existing condition exclusion period when you join a new group health insurance plan. Even if your health insurance coverage is continuous, there may be a pre-existing health condition exclusion period for some benefits if you join a group California health insurance plan that covers benefits your old group plan did not. Not all of the California group health insurance plan protections may apply to certain non-federal public employers in California.

If you are not HIPAA eligible, individual insurers are free to turn you down because of your state of health and other factors. Even if you are HIPAA eligible, you can be turned down for some individual health insurance policies. Except for policies sold to HIPAA eligible persons, California law does not limit how expensive individual health policies can be. If you are a small employer buying a fully insured group health insurance plan, you can be charged higher premiums because someone in your group is seriously ill.

Special Enrollment Opportunity.

In California, newborns, newly adopted children and children placed for adoption are automatically covered under the parents fully insured group health insurance plan for the first thirty days, if the plan covers dependents. In California, your disabled child can remain covered as a dependent under your group health insurance plan into adulthood. California requires fully insured group health insurance plans to accept late enrollees, although you might have to wait twelve months to enroll after you request admission to the plan. California law provides some additional rights to women who are taking pregnancy leave.

California Group Health Insurance and Pre-Existing conditions

Look Back Period: California Group health insurance plans can count as pre-existing conditions only those for which you actually received or were recommended to receive a diagnosis, treatment or medical advice within the six months immediately before you joined that plan. California Group health insurance plans cannot apply a pre-existing condition exclusion period for genetic information. Group health insurance plans can exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions for a limited time. If you enroll late in your California group health insurance plan (after you are hired and not during a regular or special enrollment period), you may have a longer pre-existing condition exclusion period. Californian group health insurance plans that impose pre-existing condition exclusion periods must give you credit for any previous continuous creditable coverage that you’ve had.