I'm changing jobs; what do I do about health insurance coverage for the few interim days?

Question

I'm moving from one company to another. There is a gap of a week between my end date with my current employer, and my start date with the new company.

My health insurance coverage with the old company ends on my last day, and my coverage with the new company starts on day 1. But, there's still that gap of a week between them, and I don't want to be without insurance even for that small amount of time.

What are my options? Do I need to file for COBRA? Can I wait, and only file for COBRA if something happens, since the filing period is longer than the time between jobs? Are there other options?

Answer 1

Yes, you can take cobra coverage.  You have 60 days to decide if you want cobra or not, so you can wait and see if something happens during that week.  That's what I would do.

Answer 2

Yes, you can wait,and only file cobra if you need to--but I think you pay for the whole month, irrespective if needing a week's coverage.

The other thing you can do is buy a temporary plan to fill the gap. These are cheaper than cobra.You can call an insurance agent and ask about temporary, short term insurance. The premium will be determined by your age and health. Good luck at your new job.

Answer 3

You propably won't even have enough of a break in coverage to get the COBRA paperwork. If something happens and you need it, you can opt for it then. Make sure you have the coverage at the new employer from day one before you refuse COBRA though...