If you're healthy, you probably don't think about health insurance - until you get sick or injured. Then, health insurance can become the most important thing in your life and the lives of your loved ones. If you've ever experienced an unexpected health crisis and been without health insurance, you know what a financial and emotional disaster it can be.

Most people who are full-time employees of large companies receive health insurance as part of their employee benefit package. But if you work part-time, work in a small office, are self-employed or unemployed, you may be among the more than 44 million people in this country who aren't covered.

Health insurance is too important a purchasing decision to take lightly. An uninformed choice today could leave you without the coverage you might need later. Whether you're shopping for an individual health plan for you or your family?or comparing the plans offered by your employer?shop wisely. You want to make sure that the plan you select meets your unique healthcare needs and also fits your wallet.

Carefully identifying your current and anticipated preferences and needs can help you select a plan that meets your personal requirements for now and in the future. Although most plans cover outpatient and hospital care, and a number of other services, some coverages?like dental care and vision care are not usually included in a general plan.

What happens to my group health coverage when I quit or loose my

                                    Post Employment Coverage

When you leave your job, you also leave behind your employer-based health insurance. Unless you're moving into a job situation where you're covered immediately by your new employer or you can join your spouse's plan, you'll need to obtain coverage on your own. Your options for personal coverage include short-term medical, individual medical plans, and COBRA coverage.

Short Term Medical: Short-term medical plans are designed for people who are responsible for their own health insurance until they secure permanent individual insurance or employer-based coverage. Premiums for these plans tend to be lower than COBRA or individual major medical plans, mainly because they do not cover preexisting conditions.

Short-term medical plans can usually be purchased for coverage periods of one to six months. Some companies allow you to reapply for one additional period of the same length as the initial period. Short-term medical plans generally do not provide coverage for any preexisting condition, and any condition that may have developed during the first coverage period may be excluded from your second coverage period. Short-term medical plans may also be an option to meet the needs of graduating students, who may be responsible for their own health insurance until they secure employer-based coverage or permanent individual insurance.

COBRA: If you quit your job or are let go for any reason other than gross misconduct, you may qualify for continuation of your employer's health insurance benefits under the federal law known as COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985). You may also qualify for COBRA if you lose your employer-based health insurance coverage because your work hours are reduced. If you lose coverage for one of these reasons, you, your spouse, and children may continue your previous health insurance coverage under COBRA for up to 18 months by paying the full premium plus an administrative fee (up to 2 percent). If you are disabled, the COBRA coverage could be extended to 29 months. Spouse and dependent coverage is available for up to 36 months for reasons of your death, divorce, separation, or when your child reaches the plan's age limit. For a healthy person, the premium for COBRA continuation coverage may exceed the premiums charged for short-term medical and individual plans that you can purchase. You should compare COBRA costs and coverage with other options before purchasing.

HIPAA: Another piece of federal legislation known as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) may become very important to you if you terminate your current employment. HIPAA guarantees that you can obtain group health insurance if you have had continuous coverage for the previous 18 consecutive months. Time covered on a COBRA plan counts toward the 18 consecutive months. HIPAA also guarantees certain eligible persons the ability to purchase an individual health policy. This guarantee is more limited, and the types of available plans vary considerably by state. Visit http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/ for more info.

Individual Plan: If you can't find group coverage or you're not eligible for COBRA (or have exhausted your COBRA benefits), you definitely need to go shopping for an individual plan.

Being without health insurance puts you and your family at risk!