Temporary Health Insurance

[yankeeyosh]

I need health insurance as of December 1st, since I don't get coverage at my new job for 3 months...I could get COBRA from my previous job, but it's over $400 a month, and I don't want to spend that if I can help it (of course, it depends on some lab work that I'm having done next week to figure out why the heck I'm having high arsenic levels). But I went online to look for temporary health insurance, and no companies that I found cover New York State. Does anyone in NY (or in a state where there are issues getting temp insurance) have any ideas?

[winneythepooh7]

I don't know anything about temporary, but when I was in the situation of getting COBRA, I learned that I had 60 days to apply, so if I started to feel sick or like I needed it for an appt., then I would apply for the month only that I needed it, if that makes sense..............why spend all that dough otherwise...........

[yankeeyosh]

I don't know anything about temporary, but when I was in the situation of getting COBRA, I learned that I had 60 days to apply, so if I started to feel sick or like I needed it for an appt., then I would apply for the month only that I needed it, if that makes sense..............why spend all that dough otherwise...........

Hmmmm...with my employer, if say, you decide in January you want Cobra...you'd be charged for January AND December, which is the month that it starts (my current insurance expires at the end of November). But I need some insurance...even if it doesn't cover doctor appts...in case something happens, like I break my leg or something.

[steph78]

I got some temporary health insurance through State Farm when I was between grad school and a permanent job. I got it for six months, I feel like it was only like $150 for that whole time (but that's just my memory from four years ago which could totally be wrong). Anyway, it didn't cover regular doctor appointments or anything, it was just to cover me in case of unexpected hospitalization or a trip to the ER or something. It was pretty good coverage, like up to half a million dollars or something, I thought it was well worth it for the six months I was between jobs. For that short of a period of time, I was able to put off any regular check-up type doctor visits. Of course, I never had to make use of that insurance during the period I had it because I didn't get into any crazy accidents, but you know as soon as you let your insurance lapse something bad is bound to happen to you. :frustrate

[yankeeyosh]

I got some temporary health insurance through State Farm when I was between grad school and a permanent job. I got it for six months, I feel like it was only like $150 for that whole time (but that's just my memory from four years ago which could totally be wrong). Anyway, it didn't cover regular doctor appointments or anything, it was just to cover me in case of unexpected hospitalization or a trip to the ER or something. It was pretty good coverage, like up to half a million dollars or something, I thought it was well worth it for the six months I was between jobs. For that short of a period of time, I was able to put off any regular check-up type doctor visits. Of course, I never had to make use of that insurance during the period I had it because I didn't get into any crazy accidents, but you know as soon as you let your insurance lapse something bad is bound to happen to you. :frustrate

I did that in Florida,when I was a grad student...the school insurance was too much, so I got some catastrophic insurance from Blue Cross, which only covered hospitalizations. It was pretty cheap; only about $60 a month. But they don't offer it in NY, so I may be stuck with COBRA...even though I don't want to spend $400 a month on that. But if I wind up in the hospital and will get a bill of $50,000, I will rue the day I didn't get COBRA, no matter how expensive it is.

It sucks...New York is one of like four states where no one writes temporary insurance. I could go with GHI, which I did before, but I only save $70/month, and it doesn't cover office visits.

[ugarachel82]

COBRA pretty much is equivalent to highway robbery.

I went with blue cross/blue sheild when I graduated and could pay by the month and I like them because you can stop at anytime (if for example, you find a job with amazing benefits). I pay close to $150 per month.

[yankeeyosh]

COBRA pretty much is equivalent to highway robbery.

I went with blue cross/blue sheild when I graduated and could pay by the month and I like them because you can stop at anytime (if for example, you find a job with amazing benefits). I pay close to $150 per month.

In NYS...the only individual insurance that's offered is GHI. Since it's a monopoly on NYS, it's well over $300 a month...so I decided to take COBRA, which offers full coverage for maybe $75 more. Since I have a couple of doctor appts in the next few weeks, it makes sense...

***sigh*** I miss paying $56 a month for Blue Cross in Florida.