Rheumatoid Arthritis can be uninsurable in states that allow Medical Underwriting as part of their individual health insurance application process. States that do not allow medical underwriting include New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont. So in these states you would be able to get health insurance that would cover your condition after a waiting period of approximately six months. Some other states also offer programs to cover these types of conditions - and what you will get will vary greatly. For contact information on how to find out about special programs in your state, use the health insurance resources on my health insurance book website and find your state, contact the department of insurance (or equivalent) listed on the site, and ask.

Many states also offer guaranteed issue health insurance for small businesses. While this also varies from state to state, you may find that you can get a guaranteed issue health insurance plan that offers coverage for a small business of 1 or 2 people. The minimum number of people varies by state, so check the health insurance resources on the health insurance book website to find your department of insurance (or equivalent) and find out about them.

Make sure that you select a quality insurer and avoid anything that appears to be too good to be true: it is probably a rip-off.

-Jonathan Pletzke
Author, Get a Good Deal on Your Health Insurance Without Getting Ripped-Off