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For College Grads: Health Insurance 101
You’re finally out of school and ready to begin pursuing the career you’ve been waiting for. This can be a time of great anticipation and indigestion. Know that few graduates find what they’re looking for right away. You may be one of the lucky ones, but don’t panic if you’re not. Many will take internships or temporary jobs for awhile. Some will return to school to study for a fallback career. Others take some time off to get themselves re-centered. But in the mean time, if you’ve been insured on family or university health insurance plans, you may soon find yourself without health insurance.
So, while you're polishing your resume and surfing the job sites, consider a low cost health plan. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Higher Deductibles Mean Lower Payments
On a health insurance plan, the annual deductible is the amount you have to pay (not counting co-payments) before your health insurance kicks in. Health insurance plans come with various deductible levels, ranging from $500 or less to as much as $5,000 a year. Typically, the higher your deductible, the lower your monthly payment will be. But choosing a plan with a high deductible doesn't mean you're unprotected. For example, since visits to the emergency room can be so expensive, you're bound to save a substantial amount of cash even with a $5,000 deductible. And if you get into a car accident, it's a lot easier to borrow $2,000 or $5,000 to help you cover your deductible than it is to borrow $20,000 to cover the whole bill!
Location, Location, Location
Believe it or not, health insurance rates vary across much of the country. Ironically, cities that have higher costs of living often have cheaper health insurance rates. For example, California is often considered one of the most expensive states to live in, but its health insurance rates are often more affordable than those of other states. Each state has its own rules and regulations that affect competition among health insurance companies, and, as you might remember from Economics 101, competition is good for consumers! So, when you're trying to figure out where to settle down, check out the prices for a few different things including rent, health insurance and car insurance before you move.
Short-Term Means Cheaper
Just like the name implies, short-term plans are intended to cover you while you're in-between other coverage. You can buy plans for up to a year that will cover you in the event of an expensive injury or illness. These plans aren't designed to cover a doctor's office visit for a simple cold: these are intended to cover you if you fall off a mountain or get into a car accident. It's a great idea because you know how things happen when you least expect it!
So think twice before going without health insurance. You may not have much income yet, and you may be facing some hefty student loans, but why risk adding thousands of dollars in medical debt on top of it all? InsureMeOnline.com can quickly get you free quotes on health care insurance for any of the cities in the United States you may be thinking of calling “home.”
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