Most health insurance renewals have a grace period of anywhere from one week to 30 days. The grace period for the health insurance policy is like a lifeline, and it should be used as such. If you don’t pay the premium within the grace period, your policy ends and you lose all the benefits, as well as any privileges or loyalty points you may have earned over time.
The grace period and the waiting period have nothing to do with each other. The waiting period is the time that new policyholders have to wait before their health insurance benefits start. During this time, claims that were sent in are turned down.
You could lose the following benefits and rights:
You have no protection
The biggest problem with not renewing your health insurance during the grace period is that you won’t have coverage. The lapsed policy doesn’t give you any insurance coverage, and even if you apply for a new one, you might not get it for a few days. Given how much medical care and hospital stays cost, it’s not a good idea to go even one day without insurance.
You won’t get a no-claims bonus
One of the best things about health insurance policies is the no-claim bonus. It’s a reward from the insurance company for customers who don’t make a claim for a year. It can be given as a bonus that adds up over time or as a discount on the premium. A cumulative bonus means that, depending on the bonus, your coverage amount for the next year will go up, but your premium will stay the same.
You could also get a discount on your premium for the next year
The ability to move a policy
If you let your policy lapse, you can’t take it with you to a new health insurance company. You have to ask to port a plan at least 45 to 60 days before the policy ends.
The new policy is sure to cost a lot
Costs for health insurance keep going up, so a new plan will cost you more. Plus, you would be a year older, which is another reason why your premiums would go up.
A longer time to wait
Some pre-existing conditions and maternity benefits have to wait between 24 and 48 months before they can be covered by health insurance. With the new plan, you will have to wait a few more years before you can start using these facilities.
Check-up on health again
To get the new policy, you may have to get a full health check-up. This medical test takes a lot of time. Also, what if you fail the medical exam? When you renew your health insurance, you don’t have to go to the doctor.
Renewability for life. Some insurance plans let you renew them for the rest of your life, but if you let your plan lapse, you lose this right.
Conclusion:
You can’t go without insurance. Even for one day, you shouldn’t go without health insurance. Let’s say you don’t like your current health insurance company or plan. In that case, you can switch to a different health insurance company like you can talk to bright healthcare Texas provider without losing any of the benefits, bonuses, or extras that come with your current policy or plan. So, when you port your policy, you keep the credit for the time you had to wait for pre-existing conditions.