Instead of a computer or a car, parents looking for a useful gift for a new college grad may want to consider health insurance.
Typically, most adult children who are students will lose their coverage when they attain a certain age, graduate or are no longer attending school on a full-time basis. Since most of these new college graduates won't have coverage until after they have found a job, many find themselves falling through a gap in coverage.
The number of young adults who fall into this category can be significant. According to a 2002 Census Bureau report, 18-to-24-year-olds are the least likely age group to have health insurance coverage.
Some find an effective way to address this need is with a type of product called temporary or short-term medical insurance. Such policies are designed to fill short gaps in health insurance coverage and usually cover periods ranging from one to six months. Exact length of coverage may vary by state and company.
Because temporary policies are usually designed to cover the unexpected, most do not include coverage for preventive care, physicals, immunizations, dental or eye care. Also, temporary policies generally do not cover pre-existing conditions.
While typical customers for short-term medical insurance are graduating students no longer covered by a family plan, but not yet covered by an employer's group plan, the policy may also be of interest to others. People changing jobs or making a transition to a new career, or new employees facing a short waiting period before becoming eligible for an employer's group insurance plan, may find that it fills a need.
To learn more, visit www. temporaryinsurance.com or contact your independent agent.
Most adult children will lose their insurance coverage at the end of the month they graduate from college.