My fiance and I will be hiking the PCT this year and are wonering what to do about health insurance. I’m taking a sabbatical from work and so have the option to continue my work coverage (but having to pay the part my employer usually pays) but fiance is just graduating from grad school and will need to find some other source of insurance. What do people usually do about this?
Magpie
I had tried to get a cheap, short-term health insurance program for my thru-hike (no doctor’s appointments, no prescriptions) to cover emergencies. Your fiance may be able to find a plan like this for about $100/month. Golden Rule was one company I found.
However, they wouldn’t insure me because of my medical history – so this is probably only an option if you’re perfectly healthy.
My fiance, by the way, went without health insurance, and survived. But I felt I needed the peace of mind. I got it, but it was expensive.
Good luck!
Jambalaya
I used Highmark Special Care the Limited Benefits Program that includes four doctor visits with a 10 dollar copay and reduced medications for low income people. It also covered you if you had a major expensive “problem” after paying the deductable. Look into it. It was a little over 100 bucks a month.
Boorah
Temporary insurance will only work if you have a guarenteed job with benefits lined up. It will fill the gap while you meet the elimination period, etc. It will not work otherwise, because it does not provide continuation of benefits. If you do not have a place to land after the hike, I reccommend a simple plan that qualifies you to open a Health Savings Account. Golden Rule has excellent plans here in Georgia, I am not sure about other states. Go for the deductible that is in the $2600-3000 range.
Jesse
I thruhiked the AT in 05. I had retired and had insurance. I ended up in the hospital 4 times for poision ivy, cellulitus from the poision ivy (2 trips 1 stay for 4 days) and a staff infection. I was 63 and maybe old folks get sick easier but I saw a lot of young people require medical assistance as well. Check into some sort of insurance.
Steady On
1Save your bucks and get her insurance
2Marry the girl and put her on yours
3Dont worry about it
I went COBRA for 6 months
virginian
In all liklihood an individual “health savings account” qualified plan will be much cheaper than COBRA.
jesse
I had the same concern for my AT thru-hike. I got emergency insurance(no perscription/no office visits) from world insurance for under 60 bucks a month. I didn’t use it once, but it gave me piece of mind.
slick b