New Hire... And Newly Uninsured?

March 3, 2022 2:00 PM

Just started a new job and was told my health insurance benefits won't start for another two months. What are my options here?

I recently (mid-February) started a full-time job and was just told that my health insurance won't kick in until May because I'm on a probationary period. I'm in generally decent health, but I do want to be able to go to the doctor if necessary and have also FINALLY found a psychiatrist who takes insurance, happily prescribes my one drug, and isn't too much of a pain in the ass.

My questions:

1. Is short-term insurance worth it? And if so, is it worth paying more for the ones that cover copay or just getting the cheapest insurance possible and hoping for the best? I already know mental health coverage is not going to happen with this option.
2. Obamacare is a no, right? It seems like you can't be covered if you are employed by a company that offers health insurance, even if the offer isn't kicking in yet.
3. Should I start looking for a new job? I feel ripped off that I have to sit around and wait for my healthcare to kick in and don't want to stay where I'm going to be screwed over. This is admittedly a vibes question, not a directly monetary one.

COBRA isn't an option--I had a very nice plan at my otherwise not so nice last job, which means it would be $800 a month.

posted by kingdead to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Cobra can be applied after the fact, so In general a common recommendation is to write a check for cobra, and have a close friend mail it in if you suffer a bad accident.

I'd double check exactly what applies to you here but, if you're pretty healthy and just worried about big accidents, then that's an option!
posted by bbqturtle at 2:12 PM on March 3, 2022 [6 favorites]

If you don't have access to the coverage yet, you should be able to get a Marketplace plan until it's set to kick in, since your employer hasn't "offered" it to you for enrollment at the moment. Call your local Marketplace, although you still might not get coverage until April.
posted by Theiform at 2:31 PM on March 3, 2022 [9 favorites]

With COBRA you only have 60 days from the date you got notice that you could elect continued coverage so that won't cover the entire period that you will be without health care.
posted by metahawk at 3:02 PM on March 3, 2022 [3 favorites]

You can get Obamacare if your employer isn't offering you insurance YET but they will. I've been in a situation where I was in a job with a 30 day probationary period before benefits kicked in and I signed up for the cheapest Marketplace plan I could find to hold me over in case I needed to see a doctor or get a prescription filled.

NB: I am in New York. I don't know if this is the case in other states.
posted by nayantara at 3:40 PM on March 3, 2022 [4 favorites]

You can call the ACA and see what's possible. 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325)
posted by theora55 at 3:48 PM on March 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

It's my understanding that your employer "offering" insurance explicitly means that it's insurance you are able to make the choice to have at that moment. So for your (and Marketplace's) purposes, your employer doesn't offer insurance until the date that you're actually eligible to have it.
posted by augustimagination at 6:22 PM on March 3, 2022 [3 favorites]

Nth-ing keep the COBRA paperwork. I was in a similar situation a few years ago and experienced a major medical crisis. I was able to activate the COBRA after being hospitalized and everything was covered.
posted by hworth at 4:48 PM on March 4, 2022

I have no knowledge of the mechanics, but I agree this is weasely behavior by your employer. They have chosen not to offer insurance for two months and didn’t make that clear. I would be actively looking for other opportunities, and if something comes up during the “probationary period” I would think nothing of leaving at once and calling them in a week to say you retroactively resign. Or just never call them again and see how long they keep paying you.

Good luck, in any event.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 9:02 PM on March 4, 2022