One of the best options for health insurance coverage (other than being covered under a parent’s health insurance plan) is through your employer. Two benefits of being in a group health insurance plan through your employer are affordability and guaranteed coverage (i.e. you won’t have to take a physical to ensure that you are in good health and with no pre-existing health conditions). Many employers contribute toward the cost of, or even completely pay for, premiums (the monthly cost of health insurance). It used to be true that only full-time jobs provided health insurance options but that is no longer true. Many companies are now giving part-time employees the opportunity to join a group health insurance plan.

You will need to check with your employer about health care coverage options. There should be policies that govern which employees are eligible for coverage and what type of coverage, but these policies should be applied equally to everyone. You should have been told about your eligibility when you were hired and usually have about 30 days to sign up. If you didn’t enroll, then you may have to wait until the next “open enrollment period” that usually comes once each year. However, if you have had a “qualifying event” (such as being dropped from your parent’s insurance) you may be eligible to sign up outside of the open enrollment period, so ask!

There are various types of coverage offered by employers so you don’t usually get a lot of choice about what type of coverage you’ll have. The amount of coverage and the cost is typically determined by the size of the company (how many employees) so smaller companies have fewer choices about available coverage and the premium amounts.