Looking for health insurance options for a 22 year old, part-timer on his own.

October 10, 2006 9:08 AM

Are there any cheap health insurance options for a non-student, part-time 22 year old living on his own?

Mefi! Help! I'm generally pretty healthy for most of the year, but right around the change of seasons I tend to get kind of sick. Sometimes it's just a cold, sometimes it's a pretty brutal case of strep. This is usually just a pain in the butt and a trip to the doctor.

However, I recently graduated college and moved out of my parent's house, leaving me with no health coverage. I only work part-time as a 1099 independent contractor (Mostly because the higher-ups don't want to fork out for benefits) and take home about 2000$ a month before taxes (After taxes and rent, I'm looking at around 1000$ a month to live on). I looked into COBRA, but it was running over 500$ a month, which is more than I pay in rent. God forbid I should get really sick (I have a family history of kidney stones), I can barely afford a doctor's appointment.

I lived in NJ when I was under my 'rents coverage, I'm living in NYC now. Are there any low cost options for someone in my situation?

posted by GilloD to health & fitness (12 comments total)

the freelancer's union

i'm a freelance web dork and i use them. you can get pretty decent health with preventative optical starting in the mid 200's I believe. I pay 330 for their 2nd tier service which include dental, low deductible, blah blah blah.

They do have requirements on who joins so hopefully you'll meet them.
posted by Stynxno at 9:26 AM on October 10, 2006

You should look into Blue Shield in your area, such as Empire Blue. They have individual HMO & PPO programs that run anywhere from $60-150 a month, depending on the deductable. That's where I got my plan through.

You might also want to try www.healthinsurance.org enter in your zip and see what plans are available in your area.

Note: If you enroll now, you won't be covered until the 1st of November. Coverage starts the 1st of the following month.
posted by wilde at 9:28 AM on October 10, 2006

Health-Flex 2000

I signed up for this a few months ago after I was off my parents' plan and before I was able to go on the plan at work. I was only on it for one month, so I never got to use it, but it seemed to be a nice $189 safety net. I am in Westchester, ftr (that means 'for the record').
posted by dorisfromregopark at 9:34 AM on October 10, 2006

You could also look into a second part-time job with benefits. Here's a question on such jobs.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 9:42 AM on October 10, 2006

You can also look into Healthy NY. It looks like you just about meet the income qualifications. Prices are about $200-250 with presciption coverage or a little less if you don't take prescription coverage. I used this program to get my insurance, although I'm upstate so the plans are a little different.
posted by saffry at 9:43 AM on October 10, 2006

Something about that Health-Flex 2000 freaks me out a little bit. It felt like an informercial and their title was "Helth-Flex".

But! Thanks a bunch, guys. I'll look into all of them and see whats what.
posted by GilloD at 9:47 AM on October 10, 2006

I go through Blue Cross's ultra-hip, super-trendy Tonik Health Plan for people in their twenties. The rates are extremely low per month--it's more of an "in case of emergency" thing. They're trying so hard to be hip, it's amusing. The plans are called Thrill-Seeker, Part-Time Daredevil, and Calculated Risk-Taker. Seriously. The card resembles the website. I think they underestimate twenty-somethings.
posted by changeling at 10:14 AM on October 10, 2006

changeling - I nearly got a health plan through them but the website colors hurt my eyes.

Also GilloD can't get a plan through them, it's just for us West/Left Coasters (CA, NV, CO)
posted by wilde at 10:20 AM on October 10, 2006

Maybe I'll just wander into Chinatown and start stuffing herbs down my throat. It appears to be less expensive than all of this madness!
posted by GilloD at 10:37 AM on October 10, 2006

Try Mega Health Insurance. They started out for the self-employed, but that's in name only. Monthly policies can be pretty low if you accept a high deductible, and there's a lot of flexibility. This worked well for me when I was in a similar position as you are now.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 10:42 AM on October 10, 2006

Recent question about someone in roughly your situation

List of part-time employers who offer health insurance

Another possibility

What level of insurance should I get, and some thoughts about Healthy NY
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:31 PM on October 10, 2006

I am on an HSA. These were opened to the general public a few years ago. Quite a good deal, but they have high deductibles usually. Mine is Golden Rule /United HealthCare. Blue cross just established one. They have a lot of perks, such as tax free savings and medical expensing. It works as a savings account, mostly.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 5:11 PM on October 10, 2006