Sunday, January 16, 2011

What are my options for health insurance



What are my options for health insurance?
I'm a 26 year old male and have just lost my health insurance through my parents. I graduate from college this December and don't have any job prospects as of now.
My School's health insurance plan is $14,000 dollars for the next two semesters, (although i would only be attending one) which I can't afford. What options do I have for health insurance now and after graduation given that i don't really have any money available.
Insurance - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
If you are fortunate enough to live in MA, the State's health plan is income based so that is where I would apply. See if your State's plan works the same way or if your State has a health insurance plan for low income or no income residents. I would imagine they would. The last option, and one you might consider if all else fails, is to (and I can't believe I'm writing this) go without health insurance. Sure, anyone can come done with a major illness at any time but, if you are a healthy 26 year old male, your chances are pretty good you could make it through till you find a job with benefits in 6- 12 months. As I said- last resort!
2 :
The ONLY option for "free" health insurance, is medicaid - welfare health insurance. You won't qualify, if you are supported by your parents, and can afford to be in school full time. You can talk to a local broker about your options - in most states, a good low/no deductible plan for a perfectly healthy 26 year old male, is going to run around $300 a month. If you've got stuff wrong with you, or you're overweight, it's going to cost a LOT more. I'd suggest, maybe you can't afford to be a full time college student.
3 :
1. If you have a job with a company (or other employer) that offers health insurance to its employees, or you can get a job with a company (or other employer) that offers health insurance to its employees, then take whatever that employer offers. 2. If you do not have a job, and you live alone, in your own household, and are not a dependent of your parents, then you might qualify for medicaid or some other government program that provides health insurance to households where no one has a job or any money. 3. If neither of the above apply, then you will have to purchase a health insurance policy from a health insurance company that sells health insurance to residents of your state. (The companies that offer health insurance are different in each state.) This typically costs $50-$400 per month for a healthy person and $400-$1000 per month for a person with existing medical problems. You cannot do it without any money, but it will cost less than your school's plan costs.
4 :
work work work!
5 :
Depending on which state you live in and your health history, you should have some more affordable options. First, take a look at the individually-purchased health insurance options in your area. A licensed agent (online or off) can help you get quotes from a broad variety of carriers and compare rates and benefits to see which options may work for you. It doesn’t cost anything extra to work through an agent and it can save you a lot of time and hassle compared to calling up each health insurance carrier in your state separately. Really, if you’re young and relatively healthy, you should be able to find some substantially less expensive options. At eHealthInsurance we’ve published a health insurance buyer’s guide for students which also addresses some of the needs of recent grads. If you think it might be of some help, you can view it as a PDF here: http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/student-health-insurance/resources/buyers-guide/student.pdf Second, if you expect to have employer-sponsored health insurance in the next six months or less, you may want to consider a short-term plan. Just be aware that short-term plans only provide you with “catastrophic� coverage – that means, no coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, prescription drugs or preventive care, etc. Most short-term coverage is only there to provide some financial protection in case of serious illness or hospitalization. Like a standard individual health insurance plan, you can cancel at pretty much anytime. Finally, it may be worthwhile checking into your government-sponsored options. Contact the non-profit Foundation for Health Coverage Education at their website to learn more about the government options available to you. You can also call them toll-free for free personal assistance. Good luck.


Read more discussions :
Posted by Health Insurance at 1:19 AM