Health Insurance is an important matter to consider by everyone, much more if you are unemployed as of this time. In addition to paycheck loss, this is the other problem that the jobless usually encounter, a bare fact that needs an effective solution. Since illnesses can occur whether you have a job or not, taking care of your body is definitely a must, especially if you want to get another job.
U.S. Health Insurance: A Must-have even for Unemployed Workers
Work-Related Health Insurance
It’s a written law that companies, whoever they are, should provide health insurance benefits to their employees in order to keep their health in check. Whether you believe it or not, some companies still believe that there’s no need for it. However, due to the fact that there are work-related health issues nowadays, providing health care to employees became a strict requirement for companies.
In case of unemployed workers, the most recent employers are still required to provide health insurance to employees for at least eighteen months after termination through the help of Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). In such a case, the company is required to pay for their health coverage at the given time period as per ordered by the law.
State Health Insurance
Depending on the US State’s Health Department, health insurance may be available or not for both individuals and families so don’t forget to check its availability in your State. In addition to COBRA, there are other available health insurance options that are available to every U.S. citizen. If in case that you’re interested, listed below are some of the helpful tips whenever you are unemployed and are looking for Health Insurance:
- Make sure that your company complies to COBRA Health Insurance Standards. Even though it’s a written law, it is only imperative for you to know whether your company or employer complies with COBRA standards. In this way, you will be assured that you will have your health insurance covered for at least a year and a half more.
- Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) – If in case that you didn’t enroll for COBRA sixty days prior to your termination, you can enroll for Obamacare instead. The law requires, however, you to enroll at least sixty days after getting out of your job.
- Enroll for an individual health insurance. If the two tips above don’t apply in your situation, you can just apply for an individual health insurance from a well-known insurance company. However, you must make sure that you will apply at an earlier time since this one is very complicated.