A pre-existing condition is a medical issue you are known to have when you apply for health insurance coverage. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, about 27% of Americans under 65 have at least one significant pre-existing medical condition.

A decade ago, a pre-existing condition made it difficult and sometimes impossible for people to buy individual or family coverage.

But those days are over: Under current law — specifically, the Affordable Care Act — it is illegal for a health insurance company to deny coverage or charge higher premiums because you or a family member have a pre-existing medical condition.

As of January 2014, all health insurance plans are required to be guaranteed issue. That means that insurers must issue policies to all applicants who pay the premium, regardless of their medical history.

Since then, the only factors insurance companies are allowed to consider in issuing and pricing health insurance policies are: Buying Health Insurance When YouHave a Pre-Existing Condition

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