<p>I know there was a thread on here recently, but now I can’t find it.</p>
<p>So, after a perfectly lovely trip to NYC for S2’s graduation with a master of performance from Juilliard, we come home to inform H’s company that S will no longer be a student. Cobra through the company will be close to $500 per MONTH. In January, of course, he will go back on the company insurance for free, for 9 months - when he turns 26 (unless he gets a job with insurance before then). But $3000 for 6 months of benefits seems like a lot.</p>
<p>He will be performing with several festivals this summer which require him to have insurance (including one overseas). He has a job in September - similar to a paid internship. $500 per month will eat up a big chunk of what he will be paid.</p>
<p>I wondered if anyone here has already done the comparison shopping and can suggest options.</p>
<p>He might do better on the private market with a high deductible plan. </p>
<p>Where is he “based”? That is, is he moving back to live with you, or does he still have an apartment in NYC? New York has a program called “Healthy New York” which provides somewhat reduced rates to individuals with lower incomes – I think that for an individual the gross monthly income needs to be below $2250.</p>
<p>We just did this yesterday. We’re taking out this plan for 5 months, and at that point our son’s job will provide insurance benefits. With the deductible we chose, it came to just under $80 a month.</p>
<p>You’ll need to find a plan that is offered in your state (Georgia?), as this one is for California residents. I’m sure that the major providers have similar plans. I think that the short-term plans like this one are the cheapest, and probably would work for you.</p>
<p>I think you should look for a high-deductible short-term plan in Georgia, then – and supplement with a traveler’s policy while he is in Switzerland. (The traveler’s insurance tends to be quite cheap – I think on average it has been roughly $30/month for periods my daughter was living or traveling abroad.)</p>
<p>Gypsy insurance would be very good! Of course, he’s 25 and going to live forever. If it weren’t required, I’m sure he’d rather skip it all together.</p>
<p>I just checked Anthem - it’s not available in Florida. He doesn’t move there till Sept, so I guess it would be fair to say he lives here at least until then. He still has a GA driver’s license, at least. </p>
<p>I’ll look into the traveler’s insurance - thanks for that tip.</p>
<p>Check out the upper limits of coverage on the high-deductible plans and make sure you are willing to accept the risk. I am not and gave my son COBRA for graduation. I save $100 a month with him coming off my family plan, and COBRA is $400, so net to me is $300 a month. He starts his job in late August and will get coverage in Nov or Dec.<br>
I am a believer in COBRA even though it is extremely painful to pay for it. In my profession I have seen some real disasters with these cheap policies. Just my take on it. I recognize others are willing to assume more risk. Just don’t let there be a lapse in coverage.
My brother in law’s company is letting the new grads stay on the policy. Lucky…</p>
<p>I’m not sure how my H’s insurance works, but I think all dependents are lumped together on a family plan, and since we still have our D on it, don’t think we’ll get any discount by taking S off. The few plans I’ve looked at online won’t cover him overseas. It’s frustrating to think about paying for a month that he won’t even be here for.</p>
<p>I sure wish H’s company would let him stay on, since he’ll be right back there come January! At least next year they won’t have a choice with D, if she doesn’t have a job right away.</p>
<p>You should check with the insurance company directly. Ours decided to start the coverage now instead of when the law goes into effect in September.</p>