How Do I Buy Health Insurance If Im Unemployed
Americans have filed more than 45 million unemployment claims since March, a staggering number that underscores the economic impact of COVID19. The pandemic has forced businesses nationwide to close for months, leaving millions unemployed.
And along with that mass loss of jobs came a mass loss of health insurance for people who relied on a job-based plan.
Were you one of them?
If you lost your job and your health insurance because of it, you likely qualify for a special enrollment period to get Obamacare coverage.
These are full benefits, not short term health insurance .
Under the Affordable Care Act, the law that governs healthcare in America, youre entitled to a special enrollment period if you experience a major life change. That includes job loss.
But times running out for you to buy health insurance if thats the case. Thats because this special enrollment period only lasts for 60 days from the date you lost your job.
The following advice primarily applies to people who lost their job on or after April 5, 2020.
If you lost your job before then, you may have other options for getting health insurance. Scroll down to the bottom of this article for more info.
If youre looking for coverage and youre inside of that 60-day window, heres what you need to know.
How We Chose The Best Health Insurance For The Unemployed
Our analysis looked at 30 health insurers nationwide to identify the best companies based on the benefits they offer to those facing unemployment. We chose insurers with widespread geographic representation who provide flexible policies geared toward individuals with short-term insurance needs. Since financial strain is a main concern during periods of unemployment, we weighed policy pricing heavily by comparing quotes from five sample markets. Finally, we evaluated accessibility to care, including the number of in-network providers and the availability of telehealth services.
Dental Insurance : Understanding The Basics
A good dental plan can not only benefit your smile – it can help your wallet too.
Many major dental procedures can cost thousands. Even routine preventive cleanings can be more than $100 at a time. Add X-rays or fluoride treatment to the tab, and a routine dental visit can quickly cost hundreds of dollars.
Cue dental insurance: Like health insurance, dental insurance provides you with benefits that help pay for dental costs. And whether you need a longer-term dental plan or short-term dental insurance option to fill gaps in coverage, know that you have plenty of flexible options to choose from.
Picking the right dental plan can help curb expensive health care costs. But before you shop around for the best dental plan for your pearly whites, let’s cover some common questions so you know the basics.
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When Should I Get New Dental Insurance
If you have no dental problems, you can go about six months between check-ups. But you should try to obtain new dental insurance within about two months after losing your old policy. Otherwise, youll run into potential limitations with your new carrier.
Most insurers typically impose a waiting limit for new policyholders. Youll have to wait about six months before the policy will cover root canals, bridges and other common procedures. However, many insurers will waive the waiting period if you can prove youve had dental insurance recently. The time period varies by insurer and policy but two months without insurance is usually the maximum limit.
Special Enrollment Periods Are For Everyone
The ACA also created an open enrollment period for buying health insurance. If you dont get coverage through work and need a private health plan, youve got one time during the year to sign up. It runs from November 1st through December 15th nationwide, though some states have later deadlines.
If you miss the deadline for the year, you usually have to wait until the next enrollment period. But thats where a special enrollment period comes in.
Major life events, like having a baby or getting married, can trigger a special enrollment period. One of those qualifying life events is losing your job.
Special enrollment periods are available to everyone. As long as you meet the requirements for a qualifying life event, you can apply for health insurance during an SEP. You usually have 60 days from the date of that event to sign up.
Note that this has nothing to do with the current pandemic. The special enrollment period for losing your job is just part of Obamacare already. So if youre reading this in August and you recently lost your job, go ahead and see if you qualify to use an SEP to get health insurance.
Thats why we said at the beginning that people who lost their jobs on or after April 5, 2020 are rapidly running out of time to take advantage of this special enrollment period. At the time of this post on June 4th, its been 60 days since that date.
In fact, if youre reading this after June 4th, youve likely already missed the window. Sorry about that!
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What Youll Pay Each Month
The unemployment-based subsidies will cover the full cost of the benchmark plan. So youll have access to two Silver plans that have no premium, and youll likely have access to a variety of Bronze plans and possibly some Gold plans that have no premium.
If you pick a plan thats more expensive than the benchmark plan, including the higher-cost Silver plans, youll pay at least some premium each month.
If youre in a state that has additional state-mandated benefits that arent covered by premium subsidies, you may find that you have to pay at least a dollar or two each month in premiums, regardless of which plan you select.
Big Savings Now At More Income Levels Find A Health Plan Now
New Jersey and the federal government are offering even more help to lower the cost of health insurance. You can enroll through the COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period now. If you are an existing customer, review your account to see if you qualify for extra savings.
Big savings â now at more income levels. Find a health plan now.
New Jersey and the federal government are offering even more help to lower the cost of health insurance. You can enroll through the COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period now. If you are an existing customer, review your account to see if you qualify for extra savings.
New Savings Due to COVID-19 Relief
Learn more about additional financial help available now through Get Covered New Jersey as a result of Federal and State COVID-19 Relief.
New Customers
Learn how you can shop for a health plan through Get Covered New Jersey.
More people now qualify for financial help. If you did not qualify for financial help before based on income, you may qualify now with new state and federal savings.
Compare plans and prices
Before you shop for health coverage, find if you qualify for financial help to lower your costs. Find which plans have your doctors, and compare plans and prices. You can browse health plans now.
Existing Marketplace Customers
Where can I get help?
Get free local help applying for health coverage from a certified assister or agent.
When can I buy insurance?
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Other Ways To Save Money On Health Care
If you want alternative options to pay for health care costs outside of the insurance plans above, there are a few ways you can reduce the costs for the services you need.
Cost-sharing plans, such as Liberty HealthShare, group people together and share the costs for health care. You do have to pay a monthly or annual membership fee, but the fee can be cheaper than a health insurance premium.
Off-exchange insurance plans, such as Oscar Health, involves buying insurance directly from a broker or provider. For some of these plans you have an option to pay a lower monthly fee for coverage, but you’ll have to pay more for services. Sometimes these plans offer additional benefits, like telemedicine access or other perks federal providers may not offer.
Telemedicine providers often accept insurance, but if you don’t have health insurance, sometimes telemedicine visits are more affordable than in-person doctor visits. One example is Rory, a digital health clinic for women that offers health care services online. Rory doesn’t accept insurance, but the costs to see a doctor virtually typically cost less than a co-pay to a traditional doctor.
Read more: 10 health issues you can get treated with an online doctor’s appointment
What Is Excluded From Coverage
The rules on exclusions vary by policy. If you purchase a Health Insurance Marketplace policy, pre-existing conditions cannot be excluded from coverage due to the ruling of the Affordable Care Act. This ruling doesnt apply to short-term policies.
Check the policy wording carefully to determine the exclusions. Common examples include:
- Cosmetic procedures
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Purchase Individual Dental Insurance Directly
Individual dental insurance is a type of dental insurance you can purchase on your own or for your family from a dental insurance company online, over the phone, or through a broker.
There are two main types of individual dental plans you can purchase: a Dental Health Maintenance Organization Plan or a Dental Preferred Provider Organization Plan . Unlike employer-sponsored plans, individual dental insurance allows you to compare plans before choosing the one that makes the most sense for your needs and budget.
How Can I Apply For Health Insurance If Im Unemployed
There are various ways to apply for health insurance if you become unemployed. If you would like to continue with your work-based policy under COBRA, you should talk to your employer. They should notify you within 14 days of a qualifying event if youre eligible you then have 60 days to apply.
A cheaper option may be to find a policy on the Health Insurance Marketplace. If you lose your job, you should act quickly as the Special Enrollment Period triggered by your unemployment lasts only 60 days.
Depending on where you live, you could also apply for short-term health coverage, which generally lasts up to a year, although United Healthcare has a three-year option.
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What Youll Pay When You Need Medical Care
If you enroll in a Silver plan, youll get the full benefits of the unemployment-based subsidies, meaning that youll have fairly low out-of-pocket costs if you need medical care later this year. Any Silver plan you choose will have a maximum out-of-pocket of no more than $2,850 in 2021, and its common to see these plans with deductibles that range from $0 to $500. Copays for office visits and many prescriptions also tend to be fairly low.
If you choose a non-Silver plan, the normal cost-sharing will apply. No matter what plan you select, your out-of-pocket maximum for in-network care wont exceed $8,550 this year, but the specifics of the coverage will vary considerably from one plan to another.
How Big Will Your Subsidy Be
You can use our subsidy calculator to see the subsidy amount that will be available to you. For people receiving unemployment compensation, the exchange will disregard any income above 139% of the poverty level for 2021.
The 2020 poverty level numbers are used to determine subsidy eligibility for 2021, so you can find the poverty level for your household size, multiply it by 1.39, and enter that number into the subsidy calculator. And if you need help finding a plan, our direct enrollment entity can provide assistance.
Louise Norris is an individual health insurance broker who has been writing about health insurance and health reform since 2006. She has written dozens of opinions and educational pieces about the Affordable Care Act for healthinsurance.org. Her state health exchange updates are regularly cited by media who cover health reform and by other health insurance experts.
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What To Do When You Lose Your Job
When you lose a job, a lot of things happen. The most immediate worry is usually about how youll make enough money to pay your bills and live a comfortable life. Another major worry is how to afford and receive healthcare coverage.
First, its important to assess your situation. This can include looking at the money you have in a savings account or set aside as an emergency fund. You may also want to think about your next steps as far as getting another job. But, for the time being, you simply need to find ways to get to that next step.
How Do You Apply For Short
Most short-term plans are easy to apply for and can be a helpful solution if youre looking for medical insurance for a period of time. The premiums tend to be affordable. However, the deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses for short-term plans are usually more expensive than those for comprehensive ACA health plans.
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Get Cobra Dental Insurance
COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Its a way to continue to get health or dental insurance from your former employer. COBRA requires employers that have more than 20 employees to offer continued insurance coverage for 18 months after your last day on the job. This type of COBRA coverage is able to extend to you and your dependents. If the insurance provided by your employer includes vision and dental coverage, COBRA will cover the cost of those benefits as well. Thats the upside of the program.
The downside of COBRA is that under the current program, you as the former employee are now responsible for premiums – which can be quite costly. However, premiums cannot exceed the full cost of your coverage.
Sbis Helps Fill The Gap
A dental insurance plan from SBIS is a great way to take care of your oral health and minimize your out-of-pocket expenses. Provincial government insurance normally only covers oral surgery when its medically required to be performed in hospital. For example, a complex surgery involving the removal of an impacted third molar may be covered. However, the extraction of a healthy wisdom tootheven if impactedmay not be a covered benefit. With British Columbia Dental Insurance from SBIS, you can spend less time worrying about what services are not covered and more time tending to your dental care.
Learn more about how you can enjoy enhanced dental insurance in British Columbia. Contact SBIS for a no-obligation quote or free information today!
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Primary Independent Variable: Unemployed Individuals
The primary independent variable used to measure unemployment was the number of unemployed individuals. Monthly unemployment data were obtained for the 120 months beginning in January 1995. Unemployment statistics were acquired from the , which uses the Current Population Survey to estimate the number of persons who do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work.
Over the 10-year period the monthly number of unemployed individuals in the SeattleBellevueEverett PMSA ranged from 46,354 to 93,333 . Over the same period, the monthly number of unemployed individuals in the Spokane MSA ranged from 6,982 to 20,145 . The data are presented in .
Unemployment in the SeattleBellevueEverett Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area and Spokane Metropolitan Statistical Area for the 120 Months from January 1995 to December 2004.
How Does Health Insurance For The Unemployed Differ
Unlike with employer-sponsored health insurance, youre responsible for covering the premiums entire cost when you’re unemployed. This applies whether you purchase your unemployment health insurance through COBRA, the governments Marketplace, or a private provider.
The additional financial burden of paying for this health insurance with a reduced income further emphasizes the importance of shopping around and comparing plans to find the most economical option.
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How Does Dental Insurance Work
Dental insurance can pay for things like annual cleanings, minor oral health fixes, or big-dollar dental claims for crowns and bridges. In general, dental coverage is broken out by preventive, basic and major services:
- Preventive dental care includes diagnostic and preventive services like regular oral exams, teeth cleaning, and x-rays. It may also include fluoride treatments and sealants . In many cases, dental plans include 100% of the cost of preventive care.
- Basic dental care includes office visits, extractions, fillings, periodontal treatment , and root canals. Your insurance company might pay anywhere from 60 to 80% of the cost for these services, with you covering the rest of the cost. But if you’re paying a lower percentage of the costs, you may have a high-dollar copay.
- Major dental care covers crowns, bridges, dentures, and inlays. Inlays are something between a filling and a crown: Your tooth might have extensive decay and need a more substantial filling, but it may not be in bad enough shape to require a crown. Meanwhile, crowns completely cover the tooth. Some dental insurance plans include root canals under “major” dental care, while others categorize them as “basic.” The cost of major dental care is higher, and most insurance plans cover about 50% of the fee.
There are two main types of dentail insurance plans:
Can You Get Dental Insurance Anytime
Yes. There is no open enrollment period like there is for health insurance. You can buy dental insurance any time of the year, and coverage typically starts within days of submitting your application.
Note: There may be a waiting period for major services, so its smart to review any dental plan youre interested in to confirm the waiting and coverage periods.
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