What are pre-existing condition clauses?
Under certain circumstances, an insurance company may refuse to cover illnesses or health problems discovered or treated in the six months before you bought coverage. Vermont law limits pre-existing condition exclusions to the first 12 months of your policy. After that time, it must start covering you for treatments related to that illness or health problem, subject to the terms and conditions of your policy. In addition, under Vermont law, insurers are limited in refusing to provide coverage for pre-existing conditions as listed below: • If you are buying individual insurance directly from the company, the new insurer must cover you for pre-existing conditions if you had at least nine months of continuous health coverage from another company, and it has not been more than 63 days since that coverage ended. • If you are covered through a new small group plan paid through your employer, the new insurance company must cover you for your pre-existing conditions if you have had at least 9
