About 22% of Americans Under Age 65 Have Diagnosed Pre-Existing Health Conditions Who if Uninsured Would Qualify for Health Reform High-Risk Pool Coverage

OPEN MINDS Weekly News Wire Strategic Health Care News About 57.2 million Americans under the age of 65—22.4% of the population—have diagnosed health conditions, such as mental illness, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer that would be considered “pre-existing health conditions” by health plans. This estimate does not include people who may have symptoms, but have not been diagnosed yet. Currently health plans serving the individual market often decline to offer policies to people with pre-existing health conditions and refer them to their state high-risk insurance pools (if the state offers one). Under the . . .