Usually, application for Individuals will take at most a week or two.  However, if there are complications in your application, such as pre-eisting conditions, it would take longer and the lesser chance for your application to be approved. An application for individual health plan in Blue Cross Blue Shield, for eample, can take about a week or more to be approved.  This is in consideration to the details that have been provided by the policy holder. There are some insurance companies that offer online individual health plan applications that take only a few hours after submitting the form and take less than a week for it to become effective. There should be no reason that an Individuals application takes longer than 30 days and you should inquire as to the cause of the delay.   - June 16, 2009 @ 6:54 pm