What happens to health care insurance after 26 years old?

[Cells4life]

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I am 24 years old now. I will be 25 years old next year when I apply to medical school and by the time i get into medical school, I will be 26 years old. Since I am under coverage up until 26 under my parent's insurance, what will happen after I reach 26 (ie: can my parents' insurance still provide even though I do not think I will be "eligible" according to policy?). There will still be a few months until I hypothetically enter medical school in August. I know under the new Affordable Care Act, those that do not buy insurance will be fined. In the worst case scenario possible, if I do not have a job at that time, what would happen then or what can I do to avoid the fine?And does anybody know if temp job agencies offer benefits for their part time workers?If anyone knows anything..please do tell thanks!

 

[def1]

You'll have to buy your own plan

 

[MVP]

you have to buy your own insurance, either from private companies or the state exchanges that will be set up hopefully early next year.

also, do you currently have dental and vision insurance? i think the 26-year-old provision doesn't cover those, only health insurance.

 

[Cells4life]

you have to buy your own insurance, either from private companies or the state exchanges that will be set up hopefully early next year.

also, do you currently have dental and vision insurance? i think the 26-year-old provision doesn't cover those, only health insurance.

hi there thanks! i currently do have dental and visions insurance thankfully

 

[DrBowtie]

Welcome to adulthood. You buy your own plan.

 

[TheShaker]

I don't think you can get a temp job to get insurance. Temps are usually contract workers which are not entitled to benefits.

 

[chenzt]

Insurance generally let people stay on their parents' plan if they can provide documentation that they are student status before ACA went into effect. Don't know if there was a cutoff age.

 

[survivordo]

There are student plans available. They are expensive and don't cover much... basically a ripoff but the school will require you to have insurance. Time to pony up...

Survivor DO

 

[CsHead]

I don't think you can get a temp job to get insurance. Temps are usually contract workers which are not entitled to benefits.

I don't think you've worked for a temp company. They all (Those I have worked for) offer various plans that you can enroll in within the first 30 days of starting.

 

[Ost3oclast]

You'll have to buy your own plan

Yep. If you end up in med school, you can get a plan from the school.

 

[TheShaker]

I don't think you've worked for a temp company. They all (Those I have worked for) offer various plans that you can enroll in within the first 30 days of starting.

Really?? I've interviewed for a few and none of them offer benefits... I was told that it was a universal rule but I guess it's not.

 

[CsHead]

Really?? I've interviewed for a few and none of them offer benefits... I was told that it was a universal rule but I guess it's not.

Really. I was covered at the time on my own plan, but they offer them. A few might require having worked at least 1000 hours in the last 12 mo period, but most are sign up in the first 30 days. I can't comment on the really small temp agencies though.

 

[kad690775]

Look at the alumni association of your undergrad college they offer some discounts on temporary insurance

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Also you can get short term bridge insurance plans that are a couple months to get you from when you lose insurance to when you start school. Usually it is very cheap because it is crappy, but it keeps you with insurance.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Curious, what do doctors do for insurance? Like as a private practice physician? Or hospital physicians? Residents?

 

[Gauss44]

Call 211. I'm serious. There may be "affordable" insurance available.

 

[Gut Shot]

I am 24 years old now. I will be 25 years old next year when I apply to medical school and by the time i get into medical school, I will be 26 years old. Since I am under coverage up until 26 under my parent's insurance, what will happen after I reach 26 (ie: can my parents' insurance still provide even though I do not think I will be "eligible" according to policy?). There will still be a few months until I hypothetically enter medical school in August. I know under the new Affordable Care Act, those that do not buy insurance will be fined. In the worst case scenario possible, if I do not have a job at that time, what would happen then or what can I do to avoid the fine?And does anybody know if temp job agencies offer benefits for their part time workers?If anyone knows anything..please do tell thanks!

Shortly before turning 26 you will fill out an online form that will automatically determine your eligibility options. If you make 133%-400% of the Federal poverty level you can purchase a government-subsidized individual plan on your state's insurance exchange. I am expecting that medical students will fall into this category, and the ACA will allow them to have health insurance that is both cheaper and more comprehensive than anything available right now.

For those earning below 133% the FPL, the original plan was to allow them into an expanded Medicaid program, but a number of states have resisted this expansion. If you live in one of those states, a rule published just last week will exempt you from the insurance mandate.

 

[Gut Shot]

Curious, what do doctors do for insurance? Like as a private practice physician? Or hospital physicians? Residents?

In my somewhat limited experience, private practice usually equals crappy high deductible plan, and hospital-employed equals typical group insurance. Residents usually have it good, with CMS footing the bill for decent group coverage, vision, dental, disability, life insurance, and malpractice.

 

[Palam]

As most have said, you lose it. And it stinks.

I'm the type of guy who likes to go to the physician annually, particularly now that I have some small, benign nodes on my thyroid. I also like to go to the dentist twice a year. I have not been able to do any of these things. I graduated last summer and turned 26 a few months later. I was smart enough to go get my EMT so I could immediately start working full-time with benefits, but another job opportunity came up in the hospital. Currently I'm per-diem as both an EMT and ER tech. While I'm vying for a full-time position at the hospital, it's not set in stone, and I still have no benefits. I could go and buy health insurance, but it's something like $400 a month out of pocket.

The point I'm making is work on getting benefits before you lose your health insurance. Not after.

 

[Arbor Vitae]

I don't think you can get a temp job to get insurance. Temps are usually contract workers which are not entitled to benefits.

The temp agency that writes your paycheck will usually offer you some type of insurance, but it is super expensive and almost the same price as buying your own.

 

[music2doc]

Get a catastrophic plan. From what I have been told, Humana One is the best policy for healthy 20-somethings. My own individual plan through them runs me about $75/mo. My school's plan is actually worse and costs 2-3x as much. (Their plan looks attractive as the front-end coverage for minor things is awesome with 90/10 coverage at the University's hospital, 80/20 in-network, 70/30 out of network plus low deductibles, etc.; however, their annual cap of $150k and lifetime cap of $250k makes it a very risky plan. That cap is the the most important part of an insurance plan as it is what determines just how far your insurance will go.)

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

Get a catastrophic plan. From what I have been told, Humana One is the best policy for healthy 20-somethings. My own individual plan through them runs me about $75/mo. My school's plan is actually worse and costs 2-3x as much. (Their plan looks attractive as the front-end coverage for minor things is awesome with 90/10 coverage at the University's hospital, 80/20 in-network, 70/30 out of network plus low deductibles, etc.; however, their annual cap of $150k and lifetime cap of $250k makes it a very risky plan. That cap is the the most important part of an insurance plan as it is what determines just how far your insurance will go.)

It might not just be the ACA you have to comply with. My school requires heath insurance with the deductible no higher than $500 so a catastrophic plan won't work for them.

 

[Gut Shot]

Get a catastrophic plan. From what I have been told, Humana One is the best policy for healthy 20-somethings. My own individual plan through them runs me about $75/mo. My school's plan is actually worse and costs 2-3x as much. (Their plan looks attractive as the front-end coverage for minor things is awesome with 90/10 coverage at the University's hospital, 80/20 in-network, 70/30 out of network plus low deductibles, etc.; however, their annual cap of $150k and lifetime cap of $250k makes it a very risky plan. That cap is the the most important part of an insurance plan as it is what determines just how far your insurance will go.)

Those caps won't exist as of January 1st of next year, so this point is moot.

It might not just be the ACA you have to comply with. My school requires heath insurance with the deductible no higher than $500 so a catastrophic plan won't work for them.

Many of these rules will all be re-written as the exchanges kick in.

 

[music2doc]

It might not just be the ACA you have to comply with. My school requires heath insurance with the deductible no higher than $500 so a catastrophic plan won't work for them.

What would they do if you ignored the requirement? It's a silly one, frankly, and whoever came up with it at your school clearly doesn't "get" the purpose of health insurance. The purpose of any form of insurance is to provide adequate assistance in the case of a very rare or unlikely event. Any deductible <$1000 is essentially assuming you're going to use it on relatively frequent events (e.g., any visit to the ED). That means you're going to pay much higher rates (>$100/mo if healthy, several times that if you have a Hx of a major illness). Why force students into that unnecessarily when most are in good health and have no need for anything behind the free PCP services offered at your school's Student Health? All that does is worsen their debt needlessly and potentially drive them further away from the very fields we need most (e.g., lower-paying specialties like primary care).

 

[futureczar]

Do you lose insurance as soon as you turn 26? Because I will turn 26 halfway through my third year of medical school, and by that point will have waived the school's insurance policy in the beginning of the third year. Im assuming that I need to have a policy secured by the time my birthday rolls around?

 

[Mjolner]

I thought med schools provided you with health insurance or at least the opportunity to purchase health insurance?

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

What would they do if you ignored the requirement? It's a silly one, frankly, and whoever came up with it at your school clearly doesn't "get" the purpose of health insurance. The purpose of any form of insurance is to provide adequate assistance in the case of a very rare or unlikely event. Any deductible <$1000 is essentially assuming you're going to use it on relatively frequent events (e.g., any visit to the ED). That means you're going to pay much higher rates (>$100/mo if healthy, several times that if you have a Hx of a major illness). Why force students into that unnecessarily when most are in good health and have no need for anything behind the free PCP services offered at your school's Student Health? All that does is worsen their debt needlessly and potentially drive them further away from the very fields we need most (e.g., lower-paying specialties like primary care).

Yeah I have the feeling most of them don't really check anyway. They're not going to go through every outside insurance plan students submit just to see if they meet the rules...you usually just have to check some box that says it does.

 

[Gut Shot]

Do you lose insurance as soon as you turn 26? Because I will turn 26 halfway through my third year of medical school, and by that point will have waived the school's insurance policy in the beginning of the third year. Im assuming that I need to have a policy secured by the time my birthday rolls around?

Your school's insurance policy will probably be obsolete by that point. A few months before you turn 26 you will fill out the online form, get your eligibility and subsidy information, then go to your state's online exchange and purchase a plan starts on your birthday. Boom, covered.

 

[pre med 2014]

As most have said, you lose it. And it stinks.

I'm the type of guy who likes to go to the physician annually, particularly now that I have some small, benign nodes on my thyroid. I also like to go to the dentist twice a year. I have not been able to do any of these things. I graduated last summer and turned 26 a few months later. I was smart enough to go get my EMT so I could immediately start working full-time with benefits, but another job opportunity came up in the hospital. Currently I'm per-diem as both an EMT and ER tech. While I'm vying for a full-time position at the hospital, it's not set in stone, and I still have no benefits. I could go and buy health insurance, but it's something like $400 a month out of pocket.

The point I'm making is work on getting benefits before you lose your health insurance. Not after.

If you're healthy in your mid twenties the market rate is about $100/month for a decent plan. You should not have to pay $400 month

 

[deleted303591]

You need a full-time job after graduation. Become a registered pharmacy technician, a patient care assistant, a nurse assistant, laboratory technician, radiology technician, or get some technical/IT certifications.

You can do any of these at your local community college and this will not cost you much. You can easily get a full time job this way.