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I'm not entirely certain this is the right place for this question, but I can't think of anywhere better either, so here it goes.

I am currently suffering from moderate-severe depression and anxiety, likely related to bipolar disorder. I've just begun receiving treatment, thanks to obtaining health insurance from my employer. Unfortunately, it has caused me to miss a significant amount of work over the past several months, and continues to make it difficult to impossible to work a full 40 hour week. My employer has been very understanding through all of this, but I'm still paid on an hourly wage, and all of this missed time has resulted in a significant drop in income.

While I am hoping that my symptoms will improve with treatment, I think it would be foolish to assume I'll never miss work to them again, even after getting out of the rut I'm currently in. As such, I'm hoping to obtain disability insurance (something that is not included in my employer's insurance plan.) Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about insurance and have no idea where to even start.

How should I go about searching for disability insurance when I'm already dealing with lost income due to disability? Are there any plans or providers that will help me at all through my current situation? If not, is it even possible to find one that will cover me at all, or fairly?

Most importantly, what information do I need to know in order to find a good plan and make sure that I get a fair deal?

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    I hate to tell you this, but even if you do find someone willing to insure you, they aren't going to cover disability from your current condition. Why would anyone ever issue such a policy?
    – JohnFx
    Jun 6, 2014 at 23:37

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You may find some company who will insure you, but they won't pay anything based on what you already have. That's a pre-existing condition, and it's uninsurable.

It's a bit like asking the casino if you can bet on red after the roulette wheel has already stopped on red.

Though the insurance company won't cast it in those terms, when they issue you a policy, they're placing a bet on you. They're betting that your premiums, plus whatever they earn on your money, will be a lot greater than what they have to pay out in claims to you.

But, they can (will) only make the bet if the outcome is unknown. If the outcome is known -- meaning they'd definitely need to pay out -- then they won't make the bet.

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