One of the important concerns for a travel nurse is that your travel nurse health insurance goes on being uninterrupted because of the constant mobility. While most other working people have insurance provided by their employer, travel nurses can find themselves needing to obtain their insurance: this is not standardized and can change from one contract to the other. Going without health insurance is, therefore, not an option, and having uninterrupted consistent health coverage is the need of the hour. These are the measures to take if you want health coverage as a travel nurse to be ongoing.
- Choose a Nationwide Health Insurance Plan
It simplifies the acquisition of improved continuing health coverage for the travel nurse to choose a health insurance company that offers travel nurse health insurance policies all over the country. Cigna United Healthcare companies and Blue Cross Blue Shield have large networks of doctors and hospitals all across the country so regardless of where your assignments will be you won’t be uncovered. Nationwide plan also means that you don’t have to keep changing the insurance company with the changing cities making the transition between jobs easier.
- Consider Short-Term Health Insurance Plans
Other crucial short-term medical plans that may also help travel nurses depending on whether they are in between contracts and working or have short-term breaks are Short-term health insurance. Such plans provide the policyholders with cover for a specified number of days, possibly between sixty days and three months. Though it is not as comprehensive as long-term insurance, short-term plans can help when you experience an unexpected accident or illness while you’re away temporarily.
- Use a Health Savings Account with a HighDeductible Health Plan
More plan options allow flexibility and continuation with a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) combined with a Health Savings Account. With an HDHP you will incur lower premiums but will have to pay a good amount for your first consultation and medication, while the HSA is an account where you can save money on medical bills on a tax-free basis. This type of plan helps one to maintain a similar plan regardless of whether they lose their job or move to a different region provided the provider has a wide coverage in the country. Money in HAS accounts is reusable and may be carried forward for several years providing for health care expenses regardless of location.
- Enroll in Travel Nurse-Specific Insurance Plans
Some of these insurance companies provide plans specifically for traveling healthcare professionals and more specifically for travel nurses. Such plans may also entail full across-the-country care and extras such as telemedicine and counseling services. Some like Health Insurance Innovations (HII) present a very flexible plan that enables plan participants to have healthcare coverage regardless of the location they find themselves in.
- Check for Group Insurance through Your Agency
The travel nursing agencies do allow for group health insurance for their nurses. These plans can offer longer coverage as one continues with that agency, though these plans are cheaper than the individual plans. Your agency may offer group insurance for you however, you need to find out whether group insurance is allowed, what areas it covers, and how long the plan is given to a specific group.
Conclusion
Consideration has to be made when planning to ensure that one’s health coverage as a travel nurse remains uninterrupted. If you opt for a national travel nurse health insurance plan, taking interim employment between assignments and looking into things like HDHP with HSA or travel nurse-targeted plans, your coverage is not an issue. Do not let the search for group insurance through your agency be a one-time affair, as such insurance can be useful when cooperating with the same employer, significantly simplifying insurance. It simply means if you do it right, you can rest assured that you’re covered at all times, no matter your next posting.