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Subsidized COBRA

For workers who were involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008 and March 31, 2010 the government will subsidize 65% of their premiums under COBRA for fifteen months. This subsidy also applies to healthcare continuation coverage if required by the state. For some, this subsidization allows them to keep their current healthcare coverage for an additional fifteen months at a reasonable cost. Check with your former employer for more details relating to the COBRA Subsidy or visit www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html.

Private Health Insurance

Another alternative option is to purchase private health insurance.  With private health insurance, you are purchasing directly from the insurance provider without the benefits of a group rate. There are several plans on the market that are available and it can be a bit intimidating and confusing.  Depending on your health insurance needs, you can select a varying degree of deductibles and co-pays to make your insurance affordable.  Visit www.ehealthinsurance.com to get a comprehensive comparison of private health insurance plans offered in your area.

Discount Health Plans

Lately there have been many companies popping up offering “discount health plans”. These companies have often misrepresented their services as health insurance. Enrollees are often charged for initial enrollment and monthly fee for access to discounts on medical and dental charges.  The buyer of the plan however, is still required to pay all doctor fees upfront and receives reimbursement later. Proceed with caution when purchasing so called “discount health plans”; many consumers have found that doctors are often listed that are not in the network.

Onsite Pharmacy Clinics

A great alternative to health insurance is the use of onsite pharmacy clinics. These clinics are popping up all over the place in pharmacies, grocery stores, and even a few select Walmart and Target stores. These clinics provide care for simple ailments such as ear and sinus infections, strep throat, colds or pinkeye. In addition, they are offering treatments for minor “sprains and strains”, advanced skin conditions that include removal of warts and skin tags or closing minor wounds.

Not only are these clinics convenient, they are less expensive than the cost of visiting a primary care physician. The costs for those paying out of pocket at retail clinics generally run $55 to $75. Clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and are open seven days a week, with no appointment needed.

Onsite Pharmacy Clinics are not a substitute for health insurance that maybe required for more serious illnesses or accidents. Many users will opt for private health insurance with a higher deductible for medical emergencies and supplement their primary care needs, including physicals by paying out of pocket at the pharmacy clinic when needed. For more information about these clinics, check with your local retail pharmacy.

Dental Coverage

While health care coverage is the priority of many laid off workers, having a dental plan is as necessity as well. Like the discount health plans, there are many discount dental plans offered. Should you decide to choose a discount dental plan, check with your dental provider to ensure they are participants of the dental plan.

If you live in an area that has a dental school nearby, you should check with the school to inquire about patient programs that are available for those who choose to have supervised dental work done by a graduating dental student. These types of services are normally offered at prices much lower than what you will find from your local community dentist. Treatment is always safe and supervised by a certified dental instructor.

State Health Care Programs

The Foundation for Health Coverage Education is a non-profit agency that provides information on a variety of health care programs offered by your state. This organization helps alleviate the worry of finding health care by making known the many programs that individuals qualify for in their state. These resources are not widely known by many.  FHCE offers user-friendly tools and guides, booklets, pamphlets, toll-free help lines, web tools and presentations that simplify public and private health insurance possibilities. For more information visit: www.coverageforall.org

Don’t risk being without the financial protection of health insurance. Regardless of your employment situation, there are options available to you as a US citizen. Take a moment to research and review the many resources offered in this article; your health is worth the effort.

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Consider doing the following five activities:

Build Your Network

Now is the time to catch up on that networking that you never seemed to have time to do when you were employed.  This is the perfect opportunity to dust off the address book and catch up with old colleagues. Better yet, dig into your LinkedIn account and connect with individuals with whom you have not spoken to in some time.

Update Your Work Skills (formal or informal)

Now is the perfect time to take some classes to update your work skills. Most local community colleges offer short term classes that can sharpen your proficiency in many different types of computer applications or other vocation building competencies.  If you cannot afford to attend these classes, check with your unemployment office, oftentimes there are programs that you qualify for that can provide you with free re-training that can help with landing a better job. There are also plenty of books and training videos that can be found online or at the library. Make use of this free time and resources that you have to capitalize off of this learning opportunity.

Volunteer Your Time

Now is the best time to volunteer your time and expertise with a favorite charity or community service group. This allows you the opportunity to meet new people and potentially discover other employment opportunities that are outside of your primary field of work.  You may find out that the charity or community service group you are volunteering with has a paid position that you qualify for.  Volunteer work can also help you with filling in that gap of employment in your resume.

Try Freelancing

Most of us have a skill that can be outsourced to others. There are several places where you can offer your services on a contractual basis. Try looking at websites such as www.elance.com or www.getafreelancer.com. These sites match make small businesses looking for short projects with those individuals skillful enough to accept and complete those assignments.  Craigslist is another powerful website where you may post your experience and find short term work.

Exercise

Take a little bit of time to work on something you probably haven’t been paying much attention to… your health.  Unemployment can be a stressful time in your life. This is not the time to start eating everything in the pantry or taking up the unhealthy habit of drinking or smoking (even though the temptation may be there). Start a workout routine and exercise your body. This will give you more energy and you will be amazed what routine exercise can do for your mind and thought process.

The most important thing to remember when you have been laid off is to continue doing activities that create positive activity in your life. While things may seem bleak and dire, it has been proven that those who continuously work at it WILL find a job. Statistically, people who lounge around after a lay off take a lot longer to find a job than those who stayed in constant motion.