Ahhhhcchhoo! Oh, post-college health insurance...

Let's talk a bit about something that impacts many a Box-O-Box care package recipient: the post-college health insurance scramble.

An anxiety-inducing fact: health insurance from a parent's employer typically ends with college graduation. One of our Box-O-Box interns exclaims, "WHAT?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD COAST MY ENTIRE LIFE RIDING THE COAT-TAILS OF MY PARENTS' INSURANCE AND LIVE AT HOME UNTIL I AM 30!" Echhemm...NO.

Michael, Box-O-Box’s Boxmaster and CEO, knows from personal experience that
post-graduate insurance can provide for trying times. Michael was on his mother’s insurance and then COBRA but was dropped prematurely. Why? Although New Jersey state law, like many other states, allows post-college students like Michael to continue with COBRA if within the ages of 25-30, his mother’s retirement prompted an immediate cancellation of his policy. Let's just say that the NJ Board of Education will not be receiving any free Box-O-Boxes***** anytime soon!

So if you're not sure if you want to leave your health insurance fate up to state laws, be sure to check out these resources:

COBRA. Once your insurance expires under your parent’s plan, you can temporarily extend your current coverage through Cobra but bear in mind that there may be a bit of “red tape.”
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/cobra.htm

Awesome Online Resources:

* Ehealthinsurance.com provides affordable health insurance quotes and allows you to compare individual health insurance plans side by side.

* HealthCareCoach.com is provided by the National Health Law Program and includes a search engine to learn more about specific plans as well as a helpful list of health insurance terms.

* Healthinsurance.org allows you to search for insurance plans by zip code and has a useful FAQ section.

Ah, finding health insurance is a rite of passage. And while it may be overwhelming, you’ll be happy when you have the sniffles (and hopefully a Feel-Better Box!) and can go to a doctor.

*****Footnote time: They may not be free, (sorry!) but regardless of whetheryou or someone you know has health insurance coverage, there are a variety of Box-O-Boxes that can help you stay healthy or help if sickness has already gotten to you. With that said, as much as we'd like to tell you that it could, you should never replace a visit to a good doctor with the excessive consumption of Box-O-Boxes. However, indulging in the contents of Box-O-Boxes certainly wouldn't hurt, and we've got them ready for you any day of the week.