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RSS Post FeedIn 1996, the Health and Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in the United States instituting a new standard of industry practices. For a US traveler, this can be of great importance especially after returning back to the US with an international policy.
With most international insurance plans, a certificate of credible coverage is issued when your policy terminates. If you will be transitioning to a US group insurance plan, your certificate of coverage will be reviewed and may reduce your waiting period for pre-existing conditions. If the plan is HIPAA complaint, your new domestic group insurance will apply this coverage toward waiting periods on pre-existing conditions. Non-HIPAA complaints may or may not be accepted by your new group insurance.
As the United States Department of Labor explains, HIPAA regulations state “that a preexisting condition exclusion can be imposed on a condition only if medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received during the 6 months prior to your enrollment date in the plan.” The maximum waiting period on a pre-existing condition plan that is HIPAA compliant is 12 months – or 18 months for a late enrollee.
If this is a concern, you may want to consider the Global Citizen plan- the only international insurance that is HIPAA compliant. You can purchase between 6 and 12 months of coverage, with the option to renew annually. Once you return to the US, you have the option to continue with your plan or switch to a domestic carrier – presenting your HIPAA compliant certificate of credible coverage. For further details on the Global Citizen plan, you can view our HIPAA compliant international health insurance here.
