How to Maintain Your U.S. Health Insurance Coverage Even If You’ve Lost Your Job
For many, losing their job has negatively affected their insurance plan, most especially their health insurance coverage – more and more people are looking for ways to get their health insurance policy running even while they’re out of a job or still job hunting.
The odds of having a continuous cover may be near impossible as a result of inadequate information or based on your locality, however, numerous initiatives are available for public access that you need to know about.
You wouldn’t have had so much to worry about if you were in Switzerland even if you lost your job. You know, why? Switzerland offers subsidized health insurance coverage even for indigent citizens. Switzerland has the best healthcare system in the world.
In this article, I want to walk you through some of the options you have as far as your health insurance is concerned.
Why Is Getting an Affordable Health Insurance Coverage Important After Losing Your Job?
Our health is a basic and very important part of our lives and for no reason should we compromise it or allow anything to put a halt to our health insurance policy. Health insurance in the United States is expensive.
The U.S. government and the workforce system have made it easy to access a robust range of health-care-related policies. No matter your financial category, there is always a plan that caters to your needs as far as a healthcare insurance policy is concerned. Many health insurance companies offer affordable policies.
From time to time, efforts are made to subsidize the amount an individual is expected to pay out of their pocket to cover for their health insurance. Such a move has served as a soft landing for many who have tapped into it.
It is believed that most U.S citizens under the age of 65 healthcare plans are run or funded by the organization they work. But what would happen if you then lose your job? It’ll also mean that you’ll lose the benefit from the organization you worked for, but this can be quickly taken care of if you know what to do. This is why you need to know how health insurance works in your state and place of work.
What can you do if you lose your job and you want your health policy to remain active?
The solution is to get a self-purchased healthcare insurance policy.
The question has always been, can I possibly enroll in a self-purchased insurance policy when I lose my job? Not many people know that this is possible in most U.S states.
This November, before the complete closure of businesses across states, it is the best time to enroll for a self-purchased health plan.
Although most states have already ended their offering of the special covid-19 plans for individuals and families. But there is still little time to take advantage of the general health plan which covers most of the important aspects of health insurance.
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How the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Can Help in Your Health Insurance Purchase
The American Rescue Plan has made it possible to still purchase a basic health policy instead of having to wait till 2022. You know buying a plan by January would mean that you’d have to wait till the next month before gaining access to the benefits.
But if you’re lucky to enroll now, it’ll be fully functional by January. Also, note that you have a special enrollment period of about sixty days after you lose your initial coverage. Now that means that if you lost your job last month or this month, you are very within the special offering window.
You also need to be aware that your pricing will reset by January to fit your current status. It is advised to thoroughly go through the type of policy your employer is offering you. For example, depending on the size or financial stability of your employer, they may offer you COBRA or Mini-COBRA, this also depends on the state(s) you reside in the United States.
Who is eligible for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021? It goes to individuals who made less than $80,000; to married couples who made less than $160,000; and to heads of tax households who made less than $120,000.
Here’s more good news, normally you are required to pay for the full cost of COBRA and State continuation, but as an intervention initiative by ARP (American Rescue Plan) the United States government will cover the full cost for anyone who might have lost their jobs unfairly. Think of it as a subsidy plan implemented by the United States government to ease the burden on its citizens.
It’s a great way to reduce your off the pocket spending while allowing you to focus on other equally important things that are begging for your attention.
You could even use this opportunity to focus on your home mortgage repayments or focus on your credit card loan repayments or attend to other more pressing issues at hand.
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What is the American Rescue Plan Act?
The ARPA is a $1.9 trillion, multi-level act designed to address a variety of problems that have surfaced during the pandemic. Some of the key components of the plan include:
- Stimulus checks for individuals, couples, and families
- Extended unemployment benefits
- National vaccination program
- Scaled-up COVID testing
- Safe reopening of schools
- Protection for frontline workers from COVID
- Expanded paid leave to reduce virus spread
The ultimate goal of ARPA is to help reduce the cost of health insurance coverage for millions of Americans.
