8 Health Care Options for Recent California Grads

Written by Eric Scheinbaum


Whether you have just finished your bachelor degree or are about to finally complete your PhD dissertation, you are probably wondering about health insurance options. Before you take that next step in life, check outrepparttar 8 health care options for recent California graduates listed below.

1. No Insurance Clearlyrepparttar 109269 least expensive, this option is arguably perfect forrepparttar 109270 standard-issue super hero – your Supermans, Cal Ripkins andrepparttar 109271 like. If you do not fall into this category and plan to leaverepparttar 109272 house, play hoops, ski, drive, wear high heels or slice a bagel, you should look intorepparttar 109273 other options onrepparttar 109274 list. Consider these facts.

- 12 million people are rushed torepparttar 109275 emergency room for accidents annually. Over 22% of all injury visits to Emergency Rooms are by otherwise healthy individuals with sports related injuries.

- The average hospital visit can cost 5 times as much for someone without insurance as it does forrepparttar 109276 big medical insurers like Aetna or Blue Shield. An uninsured patient might be charged $14,000 for an appendectomy, while an HMO with big bargaining power might be billed only $2,500 forrepparttar 109277 same operation.

- In 1999 nearly 500,000 Americans filed for bankruptcy protection because of excessive medical bills, accounting for approximately 40% of personal bankruptcies.

Realistically, having no insurance is not an option. Even Jonny Knoxsville has health insurance.

Pros: It’s free.

Cons: If you get injured or become ill, you and your family can be hit with a devastating financial burden. Many ER’s request a cash deposit fromrepparttar 109278 uninsured prior to treatment!

2. MediCal MediCal is California’s version of Medicaid; a state/federal health insurance program for individuals who have poverty-level income and few-to-no assets. MediCal covers children,repparttar 109279 elderly, blind and/or disabled, and people who are eligible to receive federally assisted income. To learn more about MediCal, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/default.asp? . Don’t get MediCal confused with MediCare. MediCare isrepparttar 109280 Federal health insurance program for Americans age 65 and older and for certain disabled Americans.

Pros: It’s free.

Cons: Qualification parameters are limited torepparttar 109281 disabled and those with extremely low-income levels and are strictly enforced. Don’t try to cheat this system – it’s bad karma.

3. Free Clinics Most urban areas have local clinics that offer low-cost or even free medical care including routine doctor visits, STD, and HIV testing. Services vary by clinic – check your local phone directory for a list of clinics near you. A free clinic, however, does not function like an emergency room, and therefore cannot help you if you’ve blown out your ACL playing touch football with your idiot friends on Thanksgiving. Free clinics generally do not offer major surgery, hospital stays, or long-term care.

Pros: It is low-cost, and may even be free.

Cons: Clinics do not function as full-fledged hospitals, nor do they allow patients to choose their own doctor. Also, bring something to read – you’ll be there awhile.

4. Mom and Dad Most family insurance plans will cover kids up to age 19 if they are not full-time students, or until age 25 if they are (you must be able to verify that you are a full-time student to be included in your parents’ coverage). Some plans stop coverage immediately upon graduation, while others will extend coverage throughrepparttar 109282 first three months following graduation. Check with your parents’ plan to see when your coverage ends. When it does, one option is to simply purchaserepparttar 109283 same coverage as you had under your parent’s plan. Click here to get a quick quote.

Pros: Staying under your parents’ plan is great if you qualify.

Cons: You have to be under 19 or be able to prove that you are a full time student to qualify.

5. New Employer If you get a full time job after graduation, your job may come with health insurance benefits as part of your total compensation package. But check with your human resources contact and read your offer letter closely -- some companies require that you be employed for up to six months before their health coverage kicks in. Also make sure you understandrepparttar 109284 status of your employment with this new company. Withrepparttar 109285 economyrepparttar 109286 way it is, many firms are forced to cut costs by hiring on new employees on a “consultant” basis. If you are hired on as a “consultant” rather than as a full-time employee, your new employer may not be obligated to offer you health insurance. Askrepparttar 109287 HR division of your new company how they handle benefits.

Looking for the greener side of the grass

Written by Habiba Bano


The life of a student can actually be classified quite efficiently, if corresponded with a simple video game. The beginning, in whichrepparttar student finishes grades 1-10, and completing Inter or metric. As with everything in life,repparttar 109268 beginning is justrepparttar 109269 easy part. But nevertheless, Stage one completed. After this significant step inrepparttar 109270 students life, he now faces a major cross-road right in his face. 'Doctor or Engineer?' This could possibly berepparttar 109271 most spoken and pondered question by Pakistani 15 year olds. Choosing a career after Inter, or matriculation, is one ofrepparttar 109272 biggest decision a student can make. His whole future,repparttar 109273 immediate and inrepparttar 109274 long term, is decided when this decision is made. Pressure from all aspects of his life strongly influences this monumental decision; advice from friends and colleagues, parents and relatives, and alsorepparttar 109275 financial state of his family. Another major factor, that may have tippedrepparttar 109276 scale on numerous occasions, isrepparttar 109277 traditional Pakistani belief thatrepparttar 109278 only respected profession is either to become a doctor, or an engineer. Straining under allrepparttar 109279 pressure,repparttar 109280 student makes his choice, if in fact it was his decision. He chooses to persue a career inrepparttar 109281 vast field of medicine, in hopes of ultimately becoming a doctor, and alongrepparttar 109282 way ful-filling his family's hopes and desires. He now faces two grueling years of pre-medical, in which he studies with a vengeance and achieves outstanding marks. Stage two completed. He applies for a seat in a prestigious university. He is invited to sitrepparttar 109283 admission test. It goes well, but under par of his usual performance. The student is confident he can get a seat in this university. Result day arrives with somber news. The student is devastated. The university offered his place to another student who fared better inrepparttar 109284 entrance exam, but achieved lower grades in pre-med. In Pakistan,a student in this situation has only a handful of choices. He could apply in a private university, butrepparttar 109285 fee scares away most hopefuls. He could join one ofrepparttar 109286 numerous coaching classes(Private Universities/Institutes), where he spends years earning a degree of BBA,BCS, etc, which is thrown back in his face when he applies for a job due torepparttar 109287 Institute not being accredited. Or he could simply recap, take Maths, apply for an engineering university and hope that he gets in, and hope thatrepparttar 109288 two years he spent studying pre-med were not wasted and don’t severely affect his future student life.

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