I am a college student and I have a question about insurance. Is it possible to find health insurance outside of an employer? Right now, I am able to be on my mom’s health plan, but if I decide to go to school longer than I am able to stay on her plan, I will need my own insurance. I would also like to work in a contractor’s position after I graduate, meaning that I would not be under a company to receive their benefits. How should someone with type 1 diabetes deal with this situation?

I commend you for thinking ahead on how to keep your health insurance in force without looking at a break in coverage. Kids who age-out of their parent’s health insurance should be able to convert the coverage into an individual coverage. It’s not cheap, but it is better than no coverage at all. In addition, many states have a coverage risk pool that offers coverage for folks with chronic disease and other conditions. For more information check out the Consumer’s Guide to Health Insurance sponsored by the Georgetown University School of Health Policy, specifically, A Consumer’s Guide to Getting and Keeping Health Insurance in Nevada.

DSH