Health Insurance Through your Employer
Most of us get our health insurance through our employer, or by being the spouse or dependent of someone who gets their health insurance through their employer. This is probably the most "consumer-friendly" kind of health insurance you can have, although it is not entirely without its faults.
Some of the basic features of job-based coverage include:
Guaranteed issue - All employees are accepted for coverage, regardless of their health status.
Guaranteed renewability - Your health insurance cannot be cancelled if you become sick.
Limits on Pre-existing Conditions Exclusions - The insurer can exclude coverage for a health condition you had when you enrolled in coverage, but only for 12-18 months, depending on your circumstances.
Portability - If you had insurance before enrolling in your job-based coverage, in most cases, the insurer must reduce the pre-existing condition exclusion period by the amount of time you were covered on your previous plan.
Because job-based coverage is job-based, you are limited to the health insurance plan options your employer gives you. This means that you could end up on a plan which limits which doctors you can see, or provides skimpy prescription drug coverage. Your copays and deductibles under your employer's plan could be higher than what you can afford to pay.