Walking in two weeks. My university health plan ends June 30 and my first job's benefits don't start until 90 days after I begin in mid July. So I have about 3 or 4 months without coverage.
Cobra quoted me $612 a month which is more than my rent. Marketplace plans don't kick in fast enough and I just turned 26 so I'm aging off my parents' plan.
I've been on ADHD meds since sophomore year and need bloodwork done before my next refill (liver panel, basic metabolic). Also wanted to actually do a baseline checkup since I haven't had real labs since my last sports physical in high school.
Anyone been through this gap recently? What did you do for routine bloodwork that didn't cost a fortune?
Graduating with a three month gap before my new job's health benefits kick in. How do you handle bloodwork during the gap?
byu/Funny-Cat-9048 inpersonalfinance
Posted by Funny-Cat-9048
7 Comments
Pay out of pocket at a lab?
I see $120 for liver function panel from Quest: https://www.questhealth.com/product/liver-function-test-panel/16725M.html
baseline can wait, yes?
If your plan ends June 30th, you have a qualifying event for coverage starting July 1st.
You can also ask your doctor if they can delay the bloodwork.
Is there a reason you can’t get the bloodwork and checkup scheduled in the next month? That seems to solve the issue, and then if something costly or unexpected comes up you can opt into cobra retroactively.
I would also shop marketplace plans through your state healthcare exchange (if you have one), since they are usually pretty reasonable if you’re in your 20s.
You may need a month of cobra if marketplace isn’t available. You can pay that late after seeing if you needed it
Do everything you can before you lose your insurance.
See if you can make a non-stimulant work for the 90 day gap.
Contact your health department and see what they offer.
Go to Labcorp and pay cash for the testing.
Our local hospital offers blood testing when you donate blood. Maybe there’s something like that in your area?