Fortunately, the protocols for pre-existing conditions under the Affordable Care Act are extremely helpful for people who fall into this category. You shouldn’t be afraid that your health insurance isn’t going to cover an issue just because you had the condition before you officially began receiving the healthcare coverage.

Interestingly, this wasn’t always the case. This protocol didn’t officially take effect until January 1, 2014. Before then, there were many instances where Americans weren’t receiving the coverage they needed because their issues qualified as pre-existing conditions.

The Benefits of This Protocol

For a long time, many people were being extremely overcharged for the health-related services they needed. Not only this, but some Americans were being denied coverage altogether. Some of these pre-existing conditions were extremely severe such as cancer or diabetes, but the health insurers still wouldn’t budge.

This stopped in 2014 given any plan that was created after January 1, 2014 would not be eligible for any potential upcharges or denial of healthcare insurance by health insurers. If you officially have healthcare insurance, you cannot be legally denied coverage for the treatments you or your child needs.

The Grandfathered Plans Exception

Of course, there is still one exception to this new rule. If you have a “grandfathered” individual health insurance policy, then this new pre-existing coverage rule doesn’t apply to you or your family. Now you may be wondering, what is a “grandfathered” individual health insurance policy?

You may actually own one and not even know it. The specified date here is March 23, 2010. If you purchased a policy for you or your family on or before this date, you may have a “grandfathered” policy. To further fall into this qualification, your insurers couldn’t have made any specific changes to the policy that decreased your level of benefits after the original purchase was made.