Health Insurance: Looking Back -- And Ahead
Chris Basler, 22, Discovered the Gaps in a Bare-Bones Plan
Each year, many of us make choices about our health insurance. See how life and their health plans affected some people this year and how that will reflect in 2008 selections. We'll check back with some of them in the coming year to see how their choices work out. Select an image to the left to read more. | |||||||||||
When Chris Basler graduated from college in May and was bumped off his parent's health plan, he wasn't worried. Living in Washington, he figured he'd land a job quickly and get coverage through his employer. And in the meantime, a bare-bones plan would do fine. Then he injured his ankle and learned the limits of his new $1,000-deductible, short-term Assurant Health policy. It covered only hospital-related care. Basler had to pay at least $400 out-of-pocket for treatment. "It's ironic," he said, that one of his few injuries came during this "in-between" period. Another lesson followed quickly. When Basler landed a marketing job last month, he learned there would be a three-month wait before employer-sponsored health coverage kicked in. "I sort of freaked out a little bit," he says. "I didn't know that's how most companies do it." Aging out of parents' coverage is a common problem, and young adults make up the fastest-growing uninsured population. Some states, including Maryland and Virginia, have recently passed laws to extend the time young adults can stay on their parents' plans. Before his injury, Basler said he would buy the cheapest insurance available. Now, he will consider more-comprehensive offerings. His grade: D for his short-term coverage | |||||||||||
