3 Ways to Stay Insured After College Graduation

After graduating from college, there are a lot of important things you need to do-from applying to jobs to finding somewhere to live, you may feel overwhelmed with all you have to do. This can often lead college graduates to put other important tasks off, like finding health insurance.

Having health insurance is important for every stage of life, but choosing the right insurance plan can sometimes be difficult. Fortunately, there are a few great options for health insurance for recent college graduates.

Join Your Parents' Insurance Plan

If you're still under 26 when you graduate college, you're in luck-you're eligible to stay, or get on, your parents' insurance plan. If you've been on your parents' insurance throughout college, you won't be legally forced to find your own insurance right away. 

Of course, deciding whether you can stay or get added to your parents' insurance is completely up to them. Some parents may want their child to get their own insurance so their rates will go down while others won't mind keeping them on for another year or two. This is why it's important to talk to your parents and see if they'd be willing to add you to their plan until you get a job that offers insurance.

Get Insurance Through Your Employer

Most college graduates already have a job lined up for after graduation or find one soon after. This works out great because not only do you have a job with a steady paycheck, you also have the option to enroll in insurance through your employer. All employers are required to offer full-time employees insurance-so before you start your job, be sure to ask about insurance coverage options. Oftentimes, you can sit down with someone from human resources and go over your insurance options. 

There may be different tiers of coverage, all with different coverage options and premiums. It's important to thoroughly understand all of your options so you can choose the policy that best suits your needs. Hopefully, your new employer will offer good insurance and pay a large portion of premiums. But either way, having some insurance, even if it's not great, is better than going uninsured.

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Get A Short-Term Insurance Policy

When it comes to finding health insurance, short-term health insurance policies are perhaps one of the best options for recent college graduates. Short-term insurance policies are great because they are often more affordable, offer more flexibility, and can offer coverage anywhere from one month to a whole year. A short-term policy can allow people to go to the doctor or visit urgent care in Wall, NJ as needed without worrying about having to pay out-of-pocket. Recent college graduates can benefit from short-term or temporary policies because they can remain insured while they figure out their job and living situation and there usually isn't a specific enrollment time for short-term plans.

Even those graduates who do find a job right out of college can benefit from short-term policies-insurance coverage usually takes a while to start, possibly even as long as two or three months. But instead of just being uninsured during that period, a short-term policy can offer gap health insurance coverage. 

So while you're waiting for your policy to start, short-term insurance can offer coverage in the meantime. There is always a big risk of being uninsured, even for a short amount of time, so it can be a good idea to invest in a temporary policy in these situations.

Deciding on an insurance policy is not something that should be done hastily. So while recent college graduates may want to rush and choose the first insurance plan that's offered to them, exploring these different options can allow them to ensure they're making the right decision for their wants and needs.