I just got a call from a representative of my current Health Insurance carrier that said my rates would be increasing almost $200.00 monthly from what I'm now paying.

A little background: I'm self-employed, I have my own in-home Personal Training business. I'm very healthy, but am over 50 now and, to keep my insurance affordable have a $2500.00 deductible.

I also wrote awhile ago about having "trigger thumb" and that I'd gotten a cortizone shot that I was told could last up to a couple of years. Well, it lasted a couple of months and is back with a vengence! Because of my high deductible I paid about $300.00 out of pocket for what turned out to be a very temporary fix.

So...if I want to be able to ride my bike...and teach my Spinning classes....and do my job, I'm looking at surgery.

Does anyone know if this kind of thing qualifies as a pre-existing condition? I'm shopping for insurance to replace what I have and am getting very discouraged about what is available in the state of Washington for an individual.