N/A

NightDragon

.

zepherin

Well the health exchanges are supposed to be ready in 2014, so that won't help you. However there are still options. You can simply cover yourself with a individual health insurance like your old coverage, but the cost is pretty heavy generally, even at your age.

With Massachusettes, if you earn less than 16,755, your health insurance is free. Enjoy. If it is between 16,755 and 33,516 it is subsidized so that won't be too bad either.

Another option if your trying to cut costs is catastrophic coverage, that covers routine checkups, and dental visits, and maybe a HSA to go with it.

However Massachussettes has a nifty tool
www.mahealthconnector.org

It's the model for the national health exchange, one of the reasons it is called romney care.

For you I found insurance for someone your ageish. 25 dollar copay, for you for doctors and mental health visits, free physicals and 1 free dental visit, $250 deductable, 5k max annual expense. 150 emergency room $254.63. Bronze High Plan,

https://www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/site/connector/template.PAGE/ind-shopping/?javax.portlet.tpst=8bd966cb7c8d05cd84a55ac252a77a08_ws_MN&javax.portlet.prp_8bd966cb7c8d05cd84a55ac252a77a08=implicitModel=true&myaction=viewComparePlans&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken

Of course your results may vary and there are all kinds of things that may alter this cost, as well as I was just doing a grazing run to see what kind of costs are going to pop up. And I used a boston zip code to get the pricing, so your area may cost more or less.

a5ehren

Yeah, MA is pretty much the easiest place in the country for an individual to get health insurance at the moment.

Anything that's on the exchange will be decently regulated and from a legit company. Don't go with anything that isn't listed there.

NightDragon

.

zepherin

with rhode island I would check some of the major providers for some cheap insurance, so your not wiped out by a medical incident, just to cover you in the meantime.

Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, United healthcare, Kaiser are insurance companies that are well regulated and generally play by the rules. I put them in order of preference, I dislike how Kaiser handles referals they are squirlly shits when it comes to them, but other than I've had no problems. I've used all of them at some point and never had any major problems, and they can all give you insurance to cover the 5 month gap.

bowen

@deebaser @feral might know more about this too

NightDragon

.

bowen

Temp agencies are terrible in general.

Have you applied without them yet?

NightDragon

.

bowen

That is ridiculous. That's not even negotiable? Sounds like you're getting screwed by a company like robert half that acts as a temp agency but pretends it's an employer.

NightDragon

.

schuss

Harvard Pilgrim is good as well I think?

NightDragon

.

zepherin

Federal and state insurance laws are not my bag, you might want to talk to the office of the rhode island commissioner of insurance too. They do the insurance regs in your state. Or you may be stuck with some crappy insurance.

I've heard of harvard pilgram, so I can say for certain that they sell insurance, and I don't think they are a scam.