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If adversity breeds character, then this summer's crop of graduating
college students are doubly blessed. Not only will they face the
tightest job market in decades, but they will do so precisely
as coverage runs out on their parent's or school's health plan.
For many grads, the temptation to put off purchasing health
insurance in the hopes of landing a job - with health insurance
as a part of an overall benefits package - will be strong. And
in years past, when English and History majors were being courted
for managerial spots by harried recruiters with dozens of dot-com
positions to fill, that strategy might have made some sense. But
this summer, most graduates will need to be more pragmatic.
The good news is that there are quite a number of affordable
health-insurance options out there, and navigating the maze of
available policies is easier than ever with the help of the Internet.
One site that offers a free service to consumers, www.eHealthInsurance.com,
allows would-be health-insurance customers to compare rates on
a secure Web server without requiring them to divulge pages of
personal information. You'll find well-known and trusted insurance
names like Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Health Net, Fortis, Golden
Rule, Kaiser, and PacifiCare, depending on the zip code entered
for the search.
A visit to the site illustrates how easy it is for a graduating
student to shop for health insurance online. A search of policies
available for 22-year-old males in California, for example, generates
30 plans ranging from $26 to $287.90 per month. In addition to
the immediate at-a-glance comparisons (plan type, amount of deductible,
etc.), the site also permits detailed comparisons of up to four
plans at once.
Of particular interest to graduates are the short-term insurance
options. Short-term policies are perfect for job seekers because
they can be purchased by the month, which means that when you
do land your dream job, you won't be locked into a long-term policy,
resulting in a lot of unnecessary expense. Short-term coverage
tends to be less comprehensive than regular health insurance,
but it's also more affordable. If our same 22-year old male searches
for short-term policies at eHealthInsurance, he can choose among
21 plans ranging in price from $33.50 to $103 per month. At such
rates, a few months spent on out-of-pocket insurance premiums
seems a very reasonable hedge against an unforeseen and costly
medical condition.
But perhaps the best news for procrastinating students, whose
attentions have been properly focused on finals rather than the
relative merits of competing PPOs, is that it's not too late to
get new health insurance before a current policy lapses. Customers
purchasing short-term health insurance plans can receive coverage
within 24 hours of applying. Which means that students can spend
the rest of the summer - and, if necessary, all fall-focused on
their new most-important assignment: finding a job.
For more in-depth information on health insurance, visit eHealthInsurance.com.
The above article is for informational purposes only and should
not be considered advice or counsel as to any particular individual
or family's health insurance needs.
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