Insurance Benefits

You're right that your parents' insurance will have stopped - it usually goes until a person is 23 as long as they are a full time student, and only until 18 or 19 if they are not in school. Most volunteer positions don't offer health insurance, but some agencies like the Peace Corps, Vista, etc do; most part time jobs don't have benefits either and if you are temping sometimes the temp agency will be able to offer you some benefits (that you pay for). Not even every full-time job comes with benefits. Some states have programs for people who don't have insurance coverage, to cover basic care and emergency services, but these vary widely by state. Check with the social services of your state to find out what's even available. You might be able to get by without coverage.

One thing to do is find out how much your meds will cost if you don't have coverage. Your parents may have this info on the explanation of benefits forms that come from the insurance companies - these usually list the full price for the prescription, the negotiated price from the pharmacy, and the amount covered by the insurance company. Try to figure out how much you might need to pay over the course of a year for meds and any regular doctor visits and weigh that against what you'd have to pay for coverage. You may find you are better off paying cash for the routine stuff and only having a catastrophic insurance policy (for emergencies/surgeries/major diseases).

If you need to buy coverage for yourself, some states make insurance agencies offer lower cost basic coverage to people who have to self-insure, but that varies a lot too. I self-insured in Washington for several years; as a non-smoker in my 40s it ran about $100/month - policies are generally less for younger people and more for older people. If your main concern is the high cost of meds, but you really don't have to see a doctor often, you might be able to get a policy to cover prescriptions only.

Why do you think you have to get some kind of government job?

Where do you live, Colin?

Thanks for responding...

I don't know why I said government job, I guess I figured they had the best benefits or something...

Yeah, my meds are ridiculously expensive without insurance. I'm gonna look into that self-insurance thing (I live in NY by the way)...

I might also look into that Americorps thing;see what that's about...

Mr. Jaq has worked a lot in public sector jobs - they usually do have more generous benefits (more days off, lower out of pocket cost for insurance, free tuition if you're working for a state university, subsidized bus passes, stuff like that) than private sector jobs, but pay less.

The other problem with a lot of jobs (certainly private sector ones) is that there is often a three to six month window before the benefits take effect.

the happiness at landing a new job was certainly squashed when I reviewed the health insurance benefits, which I knew were going to be from the same company I'd already had (blue cross/anthem) but learned they were different plans (the small business plans) which means $500 deductibles, $40 copays etc, 40% coverage for things...I hope no-one in my family gets sick.

anyone an expert on referrals?
whose responsibility is it to notify you that a referral is required? and is there anything that says they have to notify you of this before providing a referral-required service?

im in reasonable shape except for teeth which i want to do something about, but it's gonna cost. does anyone have any idea whether health insurance is gonna be any good to me or in ilx experience is dental stuff just best addressed by going to a practictioner and haggling for long-term treatment and payment. i'm in public sector and get a p decent discount on car insurance through a group broker but it's a total PITA tryin to find out what is and isnt covered under health insurance tbh