Health insurance and losing your job
Not that we want to come over allpessimistic, but this recession has been going on for a long time now andthere’s no real sign it’s going to come to an end anytime soon. Looking around,the property market is still in deep trouble. Foreclosures were slowed by therobo-signing problem, but banks are picking up the pace again. The unemploymentrate is stuck in the 9.5% area nationally. Locally, of course, it can be farworse, particularly among the young and the older workers. So what do you do ifthe worst happens and your job is suddenly on the line? Well, the first part ofthe answer is you negotiate to stay in work. Even though you may have to worklonger hours or take a cut, this is better than no money coming in. Other thanthat? Well, it all comes down to how careful you’ve been with your money.
Looking back, some of the moralists havedrawn on nature for models of how best to live. Some animals are reallyindustrious during the summer. This is the time of plenty but they run aroundlike there’s no tomorrow, collecting food and burying it or putting itsomewhere safe for the hard times during the winter. Others sit around gettingfat and, when the food runs out, they starve and die. Well, it’s the same withus humans. If you not only stay within your budgets, but save while the boomyears give you plenty, you’re well set-up when hardship comes. But if youborrowed heavily and never paid down your debts, you’re in trouble when the paychecks stop.
The big question should you be given apink slip is what happens to your health coverage. During all these happy yearsof security, there’s been no need to worry about the world of privateinsurance. Now, suddenly, you’re negotiating the final package of severancepay. If you’re lucky, your employer may offer some help in finding somewherenew to work and, while all this is going on, you need to research theConsolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (better known as COBRA). Read the rest of this entry