But often, switching jobs means temporarily forgoing company-paid health insurance. Many companies require new workers to be on the job several weeks or months before their health benefits kick in. You must reapply at the end of each coverage period. Health problems you've had in the past five years probably won't be covered. Your coverage may be limited to a maximum number of days during the year.
Some states prohibit the sale of short-term policies.
If you're young and healthy, it's tempting to give up health insurance during the waiting period. Even if you're convinced you're accident-proof, forgoing health insurance can haunt you in other ways. If you go without insurance for 60 days or more, your new insurer may refuse to cover costs for any medical problem you developed before the new policy took effect. In the case of a serious illness, you could be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is the name of the federal law that protects workers' health care rights.