Short term health insurance in New Jersey?

August 20, 2007 1:50 PM

How do I get short term health insurance in New Jersey?

I may be switching jobs soon. The prospective new employer does not offer health insurance until the first of the month after the hire. The prospective former employer does not have 20 employees, and therefore, as I understand it, I am not eligible for COBRA. I have searched the web for short term health insurance, and everywhere I have tried has rejected me due to the fact that I live in New Jersey.

What do I do?

Thanks in advance.

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (7 comments total)

I worked for a company in OH that didn't offer health insurance for the first month -- "unless you negotiated differently".

Have you told them that health insurance on day one is a dealbreaker?
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 2:00 PM on August 20, 2007

I left a company with less than 20 employees (in NYC), and I still got COBRA. I believe access to COBRA is only *required* for firms with more than 20 people, but that doesn't mean smaller firms do not offer it. It's easy enough to get- I filled out a form provided by the HR person, and sent my old company the payment, and that was that. I think it will all depend on the person in-house who manages the health plan- you'll need to talk to them.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:33 PM on August 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you have a good relationship with the soon to be ex employer they may let you pre-pay for an extra month of insurance. I've done that in the past.

Also, like they said above, find out if the month delay is an insurance co policy of company policy. If it's a company thing you might be able to negotiate it away.

If you do need to buy short term insurance, have you tried State Farm? They used to offer it on a month to month basis. Also,if you are a college grad check your alumni benefits. A lot of major schools have affiliate deals for short term insurance. Any professional / trade orgs you belong to would be another place to check.
posted by COD at 2:42 PM on August 20, 2007

Assurant Health.
posted by ilsa at 3:02 PM on August 20, 2007

Temporary Health Insurance: No Product Available
We're sorry; Assurant Health does not currently offer a Short Term Medical insurance plan in your state.

I'm in a similar situation in NJ. Darn.
posted by knowles at 4:19 PM on August 20, 2007

Contact your state's Dept. of Insurance. They may be able to help you. http://www.state.nj.us/dobi/division_consumers/insurance/ins_menu.htm
posted by la petite marie at 5:02 PM on August 20, 2007

How old is the original poster? If you are under 30 and have parents with a full time job you can become a Dependant on their insurance. Many times paying the difference in the premium is cheaper than Cobra.


http://www.state.nj.us/dobi/dependentsunder30.htm

Meet these requirements and you are in!

# young adult MUST:

* Have already aged-out of a parent’s group health benefits plan, or be about to age-out of a parent’s group health benefits plan issued in New Jersey or under the SHBP;Be younger than 30 years old; Not have any children of his or her own; Be a resident of New Jersey OR be a full-time student at an accredited public or private institution of higher education (regardless of location); Not be covered under an individual health benefits plan, a group health plan, or church plan (note: a young adult can be covered immediately prior to the Chapter 375 election, so it is not necessary to have a break in coverage, only that the young adult not be covered under two policies);
* Not be entitled to coverage under Medicare.

# The adult child’s parent MUST be covered under a group health benefits plan issued in New Jersey or under the SHBP.
# The group health benefits plan MUST cover dependents

Good luck!
posted by remthewanderer at 6:41 AM on August 21, 2007