These High Risk Pools are designed for those who are working and can not afford insurance. Not those who qualify for SSI or medicare which most folks with disabilities will.
In NC you can not have access to other group plans to quailfy for the HRP. Since my husband is a State Employee I am out. I do not qualify for SSI because I do not make enough as an artist with the economy to pay into SSI in the last few years.
I have more than a $8000 deductable with the State Workers Plan which is the largest insurance pool in NC. I will easily fork out $10,000 in out of pocket for 2010 and my MS is not that bad. I forked out over $3000 for gallbladder surgery and expect another $1000 for MRIs and my biannual visit to the Neurologist which will take 15 minutes.
The NCHRP is a great plan for a friend of mine who pays $1000 a month premium and has a $20,000 a year deductible to even see a doctor. The scary part is she has to go six months with out insurance to qualify.
Alex
Just read about IPXP (Illinois Pre-Existing Insurance Plan. Looks like 2014 for Illinois. Out of pocket expenses and $2000.00 deductible still sounds impossible for people who are disabled and cannot work at all.
This is part of the Federal High Risk which opened in NC in July. NC also has its own HRP which folks can get insurance from right away but it is more expensive it has been up and running for a year. This is part of what I work on at the legislature. Before the federal law, 38 states had HRPs.