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Medical Benefits for the Unemployed

Losing a job causes you to lose your income, but it can also hurt when it comes to your medical benefits. Many people who lose their jobs have no health insurance and do not know where to turn when it comes to medical expenses. In these situations, there are a few options to consider for help.

  1. COBRA

    • When you lose your job, one option that you may consider for medical benefits is the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act or COBRA. This is a government program that was set up to help ease the transition on workers who lose their employment. This program allows former employees to keep access to their same group health insurance plan. The employee has to pay for the health insurance premium for the plan. An employee can stay on this plan for up to 18 months after leaving their employer.

    Health Department

    • If you need help with medical costs after losing your job, you may also be able to access local health departments. Many of these departments provide free services or they may charge a minimal fee for some. These health departments are funded by the government and many of them have access to state-of-the-art medical equipment. You may need to do some research in your local area to find out if a health department is available for you to use.

    Individual Insurance

    • Another option to consider when you need health care is individual insurance. Individual insurance plans allow you to obtain similar coverage to what you had with your employer. With an individual or family health insurance plan, you will usually have to pay a higher premium than you did when you qualified for a group plan. Many individuals will choose a higher deductible such as $5,000 or $10,000 to help lower the cost of the premiums. These plans may have high deductibles, but if you suffer a catastrophic loss, they can help you avoid going bankrupt.

    Urgent Care Clinics

    • When you are tempted to go to an emergency room for some type of urgent treatment, you may want to consider going to an urgent care clinic instead. Urgent care clinics are run by private doctors and can often offer similar services to what an emergency room has. These clinics are much less expensive than what you would have to pay for similar treatment in an emergency room. If you can find an urgent care clinic in your area, get more information about what they have to offer in case you need it in the future.

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