To make a long story very short - my fiancee will be without insurance coverage for 4 months in-between her graduation and our wedding. She will get free medical/vision/dental from my employer once we're married.

Is there a mandatory minimum for health insurance coverage time? Are there month-to-month plans? I'm just wondering if we buy her health insurance for those 4 months, if we'll be forced into paying for a 6-month or a year-long plan just to get that 4 months.

4/11/2006 2:01:05 PM

Talk to an insurnace company. They'll know best. They might be able to come up with a custom plan. Short terms are generally very expensive. Does she need or have something that requires her to be insured for those months? I mean let's face it, unless there's a preexisting condition, 4 months isn't too big of a deal and certainly not worth a pile of cash.

4/11/2006 3:44:02 PM

Just go ahead and get married, what's 4 months anyway?

Just kidding, but unless she has some health issues that will require her to be seen by the doctor within the 4 months that she will have no insurance, I would suggest just risking it without the insurance. The short-term plans are very pricy and plans that you go out and purchase on your own are usually expensive as well. They all advertise the BCBS plans as really affordable, but in general, the "affordable" plans don't cover much.

4/11/2006 4:30:05 PM

I just heard about some 'catastrophic insurance' plans that cover only huge, unforeseeable problems and are bought on a month-to-month basis....and that these range 50-80 a month. Anybody know anything about 'em?

I have time to ask the questions, but not time to look into it much

4/11/2006 4:57:18 PM

She can get coverage for those 4 months from her current insurance company... i forget what it's called, but it was offered to me when i quit my old job and wasn't eligible for the new job's plan yet.

4/11/2006 5:14:49 PM

Talk to the alumni organizaiton. They sent me something when I graduated offering cheap interim medical insurance between graduation and job.

4/11/2006 5:52:19 PM

its called the COBRA Act used any time that you switch insurance companies, or that you lose your job. It also works the same for college students when they are no longer under their parent's plan. My sister used it the summer after she was done w/ school to take care of all of her dental and vision stuff. It usually lasts up for 6 months. If you need longer, (for others) contact your current insurance provider.

4/11/2006 6:41:46 PM

^winner

4/11/2006 9:12:43 PM

Definately talk to your new insurance company about their requirements.

i have some pre-exhisting conditions but they said as long as I had continous health coverage for at least 6 months prior they would cover me under my fiance's insurance when we get married in June. fortuantely for me I'm not running out of insurance until august.

4/11/2006 9:23:27 PM