If you have an employer-sponsored health insurance policy, you have certain legal rights. It's important to know what they are.

In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It has many purposes, but Title 1 protects those with employer-sponsored benefits. If you're one of the 160 million people in that boat, then it applies to you.

Here's how HIPAA covers you:

Pre-existing conditions. By law, an employer plan usually cannot deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. When you change jobs, your illness is usually covered right away. Your new plan has to provide the benefits you need.

There are exceptions, though. Under some conditions, coverage can be denied. Your new insurer can withhold benefits:

If you have gone more than 63 days without coverage
If you have had treatments for a specific illness within the past six months
If the plan doesn't cover the illness for other employees

That's why it's important to know what you're getting into before you change employers. If you do have a pre-existing condition, make sure it's covered beforehand. Call the company's human resources division and get as much information as you can.

Exclusion periods. If your new plan denies coverage for a pre-existing condition, it can only do so for a limited time. This is called an exclusion period. Under Title 1, it cannot last longer than 12 months. After that, your illness is covered.

But many states have shortened the exclusion period. Depending on where you live, you may only have to wait a few months. And you won't be out of insurance altogether. Your policy will still have to cover buy ed pills anything that wasn't a pre-existing condition.

Health discrimination. You are entitled to the same benefits as every other employee. Your health status is irrelevant. You cannot be discriminated against because of an illness. If your company offers benefits to other employees, it must offer the same plan to you.

It is also illegal to discriminate against employees because of genetics. Having the gene for a disease does not count as a pre-existing condition. You must have the illness itself.

Pregnancy and children. Pregnancy is not a pre-existing condition. This is the case even if you have never had coverage. And a newborn's illnesses are automatically covered. They are not pre-existing conditions, either.

The same goes for an adopted child younger than 18. Just be sure to enroll the child within 30 days of birth or adoption. Don't let this window close on you. If you don't complete the paperwork, any illness can be considered a pre-existing condition.

HIPAA limitations
What doesn't HIPPA do? Your rights are only protected when employer insurance is available. And, HIPPA:

Does not require companies to actually provide insurance
Does not require companies to cover dependants
Does not require companies to make coverage affordable

But even with these limitations, Title 1 gives you some important protections. If you are ever denied benefits you feel you deserve, try to resolve the issue through your company's Human Resources department. If that doesn't work, contact the U.S. Department of Labor (www.dol.gov) or your state health insurance board.

Hopefully it will never come to that. Most likely cheap Vidalista , cheap fildena , cheap cenforce, you will be given the benefits and coverage you deserve. That is why the law was written in the first place.