Health benefits at job termination

A: Low cost health insurance does not cover pre-existing medical conditions and would be inappropriate for your situation. In your case the real question should be how to afford coverage under a plan that is legally required to maintain coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. The answer is not what you want to hear: in most states you must deplete most of your financial assets paying for health insurance and out-of-pocket expenses and then the state or a state-sponsored agency takes over financial responsibility for that expense. Ask your current group insurance company to provide details on one or both of the following options: 1) COBRA coverage, and 2) individual conversion option. This is likely the best available solution but the cost of this coverage could easily be more than your rent or mortgage so a better long-term plan is necessary. You will need to be in this expensive health insurance plan until most your assets are depleted. Visit your local county welfare office for specific information on government-paid health plans (how to qualify for) and work directly with a well-qualified financial adviser to help you protect as much money as possible from health care reimbursement claims. On the positive side, you can be assured that recent federal and state laws assure that no one who accesses the public health care system, regardless of their inability to pay, is denied access to some form of health coverage.