HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE AFTER LEAVING A JOB?

Providing you insights on how to get your hands on a constructive health insurance plan even after leaving your job.

A company offers many benefits to its employees under an employment package. One such constructive gain includes health insurance which lasts throughout the job of an employee.

Health insurance is an integral part of an employment package as it not only covers the health costs of a worker but also ensures his safety.  However, it is evident that as soon as the job of an employee comes to a halt, the benefit of health insurance lapses. Following that, one may seed different questions in their mind regarding their health insurance expiration after quitting or retiring from a job. Let’s have a look at some of them.

What is health insurance?

A health insurance is a social security granted by employers to their employees under a constructive job contract. This type of insurance typically covers medical expenses. This may include surgical, dental or any other prescription drug charges which are required by the insuree. Noteworthy is the actuality that an insurance is claimed by an employer under the employment contract as he has an interest granted by law. The insurer is the employer who provides the insurance to the worker.

Health insurances cover the expenses of injuries, illnesses, accidents, diseases, surgeries or any other medical issue. They also cover consultations and advice by medical practitioners and doctors. Health insurances do not encompass criterias or  degrees of injuries. Ranging from minute checkups to high degree injuries, medical insurance covers everything.

Does getting medical insurance affect your salary?

One may wonder if medical insurance would impact or affect their salaries? The answer is no. An insurance is meant to offer compensation for specified loss, damage, injury, illness, death in return for payment of a specified premium. However, here the payment is the service provided by the employee to the company or employer. Hence, they do not decrease a worker’s salary by cutting medical expenditures.

Medical insurances are a free of cost benefit to the employee as all the expenses are borne by the insurer which is the employer. In addition to that, it is noteworthy that health insurance is exclusively deductible to the payer while the employee is granted tax-free gains of medical expenditures.

Does medical insurance only cover work-related injuries?

A common question which is repeatedly asked by workers and health insurance seekers in a company is whether the insurance will solely cover injuries or accidents incurred due to the  job or during the job? The answer is no. A health insurance is supposed to cover injuries, accidents, illnesses or any other medical expenses both on and off work.

An insurance which offers compensation only during work or due to work related injuries is referred as ‘Worker’s compensation insurance.’ This kind of insurance benefits employees by providing compensation due to work related injuries. They also include disability benefits, missed wages replacements and death benefits. They do not offer compensation for injuries or health care expenses which are due to non-work related causes.

Why is health insurance important?

We have all come across the famous proverb that ‘Health is Wealth.’ Apparent is the actuality that one cannot function properly or carry out any function in a stream-lined manner if he or she is unfit or not of sound health. Health is the biggest blessing one can ever possess. There are some instances in life when an individual fails to achieve adequate health or wellness even after spending stacks of cash on their treatment. In other cases, not even the best of surgeries in the world can ensure or guarantee exceptional fitness or wellbeing. Health is a blessing granted to us which is incomparable to other riches of the world.

Every company ensures to make their work space safe and secure for workers to work efficiently and safely. They install protective instruments and gear to ensure the protection of employees. However, the unforeseeable turn of events never fails to amaze us! Life is unpredictable. Anything can happen anywhere. Hence, it is crucial to acquire health insurance under an employment contract which not only grants life security but also bears medical and health expenses.

Benefits of health insurance

Free of cost medical help

Money is always the biggest concern of an individual. Following that, the biggest gain of health insurance is that one does not have to pay for their medical bills and costs.

Health insurance bears even the highest of costs

Health insurance is known to cover even the highest of costs. A broken leg can cost upto $7500. No matter how much the medical bill raises, it is the employer’s duty to pay.

Peace of mind

The peace of mind and relaxation one acquires after having a valid health insurance is beyond words. The feeling of knowing that you are covered helps you to take risks and develop yourself accordingly.

Better health

Having health insurance ensures better health. This is because a person does not hesitate to go for habitual checkups and consultations on even the smallest of illness. It lures an individual to keep a special check on their changing health and moods thereby ensuring wellness.

World class medical help

An individual who acquires health insurance will always go to the best hospital or medical practitioner in town. This ensures excellent health and fitness as the individual opts for an experienced or professional doctor or medical practitioner.

Free preventive care

Noteworthy is the factor that health insurance not only covers injuries or accidents. It also offers preventive care which include free vaccines, screening, test and checkups even without being deductible.

Free medicines and other prescription drugs

Health insurance also get you covered in getting free of cost medicines, drugs and other necessities to keep yourself fit and healthy.

When does your health insurance finish after leaving a job?

Keeping in mind the many gains of health insurance, one would never let this gainful venture be taken away from them. The human mind is already loaded with numerous circadian pressures and tensions. Hence, the luxuries of being medically covered no matter how much the expenses are, calms the incapacitated sunsconscious in unexpected ways.

However, it is a basic rule that health insurance lapse and expire after quitting a job or being retired from it. Health insurances are only offered by employers till the duration of the job. They are not even provided to those who are retired. Now the question arises when exactly does your health insurance stop? Does it come to a halt on the day you resigned? The answer varies. It primarily depends on the employers on when to terminate an employee’s insurance.

Most of the employee sponsored insurance finishes on the day you leave your job for good. In other cases they may be extended for your whole last month in which you are working. For example, if a person resigns their job on 1st August, if their health insurance is valid till the end of the month, their insurance will eventually expire on 31st August.

To know more about your health insurance expiration date, it is beneficial to talk to the human resource department. This will help you get the correct information as to when one should expect their health insurance to come to an end. This may also help to negotiate with the HR department to extend the insurance for the whole month until one makes other arrangements for themselves

What are the next steps after your health insurance expires?

Following that, there will be a time when your health insurance will evidently expire after leaving your job. Since, health and wellness should be a primary concern of every individual, it is of paramount importance that one pays substantive heed on what to do next and secure oneself. It is apparent that after leaving a job, a person is on their own and if they encounter any accident, injury, illness or any other medical expenditure, they are the ones who have to pay for it. One may find it strenuous and pressing to pay for their medical bills and expenditures as they are used to free health care. As a result of this the constructive way out is to immediately look for a productive health insurance package.

Paying for your own health insurance after leaving your job

It is obvious that paying for your own health insurance after leaving a job may seem as an additional expenditure and may go hard on the pocket. This pursuit may also seem gruelling and exhausting since before an individual did not have to bear additional insurance costs as they were covered by the employer.

Notwithstanding the fact, one has to face this expense if they wish to secure their health and wellness no matter what. Following that, there are numerous insurance companies and businesses which offer various packages to insurance seekers. These private insurance companies vary accordingly.

A private health insurance company would firstly assess your age and income. They would then offer a policy or package in which you have to pay a premium each month which would in return cover your medical costs. These packages vary according to your premium or the amount of package you are purchasing under a health insurance.

How to get the best health insurance after leaving your job?

As stated above, there are numerous ventures through which one can easily acquire a constructive insurance package. However, not all of them are worth it. Hence, it is crucial to firstly research and obtain the right knowledge about the different ways one can secure a gainful insurance package. Keeping in view that the present society encompasses various mischief makers who do not hesitate to loot innocent people. To brush off the horrors of being scammed under the veil of getting the best health insurance, it is better to firstly aware yourself about the insurance market and what it has to offer.

Let’s have a look at some of the ways one can secure a productive insurance package.

COBRA

Right after resigning or quitting a job, one way to extend your existing insurance which was being offered by the previous employer is through COBRA. This is a federal law which stands for The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It is provided by the law under The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) that an employee may remain under the health insurance for a certain period of time. This period is usually 18 months.

However, noteworthy is the factor that you will have to cover the full cost of premiums on your own which was previously being paid by the insurer which was the employer. In addition to that, one also has to pay an admission fee to COBRA to get your hands on the existing insurance. It would not be wrong to say that this makes COBRA expensive if one does not have an income or is jobless.

At the same time, COBRA would seem to be a worthwhile option if one acquires a new job and there will be a flow of cash within one or two months. It would also pose a benefit if you have met your deductible on your current health plan for the year. Moreover, it should be kept in mind that this is just a temporary coverage for health insurance seekers and at this time they should make their permanent arrangements.

Health insurance marketplace

Another constructive option which one can consider is to search the health insurance marketplace. It provides you special enrollment throughout the marketplace. It kick starts your coverage as soon as you lose your existing health insurance from your employer. This place has numerous plans and packages for those who are looking for health insurance. One can easily search online and get knowledge about different ways to get health insurance. The health insurance marketplace even lets you know if you qualify for special and discounted premiums based on your income and salary. It also awares you whether you are eligible for medicaid. It is a constructive way to look for insurance between jobs as it saves you from penalties even when you start getting benefits from your new job.

Short term insurance

It is apparent that it may be difficult for one to decide on which health insurance to select. This is because they are new to the world of health insurance and lack the basic knowledge and idea about different premiums, packages and rates. In some cases, individuals often make rushed decisions and end up paying extra costs for substandard health insurance policies.

One way to stave off this predicament is to go for short-term insurances. These temporary coverages are specifically designed to save you from catastrophic events like a broken bone or fractures. They are not permanent insurance and are specifically designed for those people who are unsure about getting permanent health insurance. They are comparatively less expensive than permanent health insurance. However, it should be noted that these health insurance are not approved and do not provide the same benefits which regular insurance encompasses. Covering up to three months, these health insurance are sometimes also denied. Hence, it is important to firstly read the policies and guidelines before signing up for them.

Join your partner’s health insurance plan

Many individuals who quit their job and are looking for a health insurance plan join their partner’s health insurance package temporarily or in some cases permanently. One may be able to enroll in their spouse’s employee-sponsored insurance plan. Many employers offer health insurance for an employee’s whole family. This may get you covered. Other than that one may be able to enroll in their partner’s health insurance plan.

Conclusion

Health insurance is always a prime concern of workers as it is related to their health and wellbeing. Apparently there are life uncertainties which render the presence of health insurance to be of prime importance. No matter how safe or secure the work space may be, an employee will always prefer a health insurance benefit to be incorporated in their employment contract.

Furthermore, the actual worries of employees begin when they leave their job and their health insurance benefit comes to a halt. They look for constructive and affordable demeanours to get the best health insurance. This article is an overview of health insurance ranging from what is health insurance to how to get the best health insurance after leaving your job.

Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett

Tony Benett makes his living in the insurance industry by teaching and consulting. He is also recognized by the legal profession as an expert on insurance coverages. His insurance experience includes having worked at the company level, owned an independent general agency and having worked for an insurance association. He has received various certificates over the past few years and helps his clients and readers by giving them a realistic outlook on what they can expect to achieve within their set targets. At Insurance Noon, he is known for his in-depth analysis and attention to details with accuracy. He has been published as one of the most referred agents by his peers in the insurance community. Tony loves the outdoors and most sport events. His passion other than providing excellent advice is playing golf.