Georgians begin enrolling in insurance plan for people with preexisting conditions

A rush of desperate consumers, however, has not yet materialized.

The plan is still very new -- enrollments in most states began in either August or September. Federal health officials said enrollment has picked up in the last month and they expect that to continue.

The law allows states to run their own plans for people with preexisting conditions or turn over the responsibility to the feds. Georgia is among the 23 states that opted to have the federal government run the plan for its residents. The plan offers coverage only to people who have been uninsured for at least six months.

The program is a temporary one whose need will go away in 2014, when the health care overhaul will establish a new marketplace for buying coverage and will no longer allow insurers to deny coverage based on a consumer's health.

Jeff Cornett, an advocate at Hemophilia of Georgia, said the plan represents a breakthrough for some Georgians with hemophilia, a rare bleeding disorder, who had no chance of gaining individual health insurance and have obtained coverage through the program.

"They are ecstatic," he said. "They feel it is life changing."

But he said that for many uninsured Georgians, the plans are beyond their economic reach. The plan charges what private insurers would charge someone of the same age who had no health problems. In Georgia, monthly premiums this year ranged from $323 a month for consumers under age 35 to $688 a month for consumers 55 and older.

"For people who have expensive conditions, that is going to be a good offering, but for other people it's quite a bit of money," Cornett said.

HHS officials on Friday announced changes to the program that will offer consumers several coverage options next year that will make premiums more affordable.

Those running the program said they did not know how many enrollees to expect. "It's challenging to do projections," said Richard Popper, director of the Office of Insurance Programs in HHS's Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. "It's a brand new program."

While most advocates are surprised by the low enrollment so far, many said the word is still getting out about the program and that paperwork requirements are slowing down the process for some.

Cindy Zeldin, director of the advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future, said that some consumers encountered delays in getting denial letters from insurers -- which they need to apply for coverage. She said the low enrollment does not indicate that there isn't as much need for the coverage as many believed. "It's way too early to say that," she said.

Cynthia Romanchik is among the 161 Georgians now relying on the program.

The 51-year-old who lives in Ringgold, a city in north Georgia, said her mother heard about the program on a television advertisement. Romanchik , who has Parkinson's Disease, said she was turned down for coverage by 12 insurers after losing the coverage she had through an employer before becoming sick.

"I was getting hysterical," she said. "I was at the point that I didn't know what I was going to do."

Romanchik, who worked as an executive assistant in Buckhead until she became ill, is relieved to have the coverage. "I probably would have died without it," she said.

Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan

Georgia residents who have preexisting conditions are now able to apply for health benefits through the plan run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Benefits include primary and specialty care, hospital care and prescription drugs. Premiums are determined by age and are comparable to what consumers without health problems would pay for coverage in the private market.

To qualify for coverage:

· You must be a citizen of or lawfully present in the U.S.

· You must have been uninsured for at least the last six months before you apply.

· You must have had a problem getting insurance because of a preexisting condition.

For more information, go to: www.healthcare.gov

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services