 [ Symptoms ] under health reform can insurers charge more based on age [ Disease ] oh ouch anyone who is had a broken rib will attest it is very painful i am sorry you went through that    and apparently still have residual pain here is the thing the bone of the rib will knit back up in six to eight weeks but the rib cartilage can be very slow to heal that connective tissue between the ribs is fibrous with little blood supply poor blood supply means healing oxygen is slow to reach that cartilage which means the cartilage is slow to heal there is nothing you can do about that however it would not hurt to mention this to your health care provider at your next checkup while it is likely there is nothing seriously wrong and you just need to wait this out it is never a bad idea to have a symptom like lingering pain evaluated wishing you well