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Losing Your Job Does Not Mean You Must Lose Your Medical Coverage
The loss of a job impacts us in many ways. In addition to the common onset of lower self esteem and the loss of income, the loss of insurance coverage can be considered the most important factor of all. Many have families that require coverage and the lapse can be a gut wrenching blow. A little known fact is that spending a few uninsured months can also aggravate pre-existing conditions which weren't there before. And insurance companies are more frequently scrutinizing bills of those who have not had coverage for some months.
Most laid off employees are covered by COBRA, which is a Federally mandated program that allows the employee to continue coverage of his health insurance for 18 months after leaving his job. Because they are group policies, the costs are usually more reasonable than if you were to go get a plan just for yourself. However, if you still don't have a job with income, then you may not be able to afford to take advantage of COBRA.
It is worth investigating the options out there if you find you can't take advantage of COBRA coverage. Independent providers often offer short term or temporary health insurance, usually lasting six months at a time. These can be beneficial if you need to keep your family covered while you are between jobs. They can also often be less expensive than COBRA coverage would have been, especially if your employer paid part of your premiums.
Reasonable health insurance is something that we are in need of, and hopefully the government will begin to pick up the slack for those who are truly in need. Proper and affordable health care should be a right and not a privilege that is awarded only to the rich.
If your employer doesn't offer health insurance, or if you've lost your job, there are still options. Often, some states will offer discounted plans to their citizens. Barring that, do some research online. The internet is still the best and most efficient resource for investigating health care coverage options.
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