Unemployed health insurance – how do you make sure you’re covered when you don’t have a job?
Losing a job nowadays is a very real prospect. One can even say that there is no person nowadays who would not spend at least one month on unemployment. In such reality it is worth to know something about health insurance of unemployed – after all, you never know when this knowledge will come in handy.
Until when does the health insurance from the employer last?
If you have lost your job or your contract of mandate has been terminated, you are covered for 30 days from the date you lost your job.
The situation is similar in the case of graduation. The insurance is valid for 30 days from the time you lose your student status. After that time, if you do not find a job, you can either insure yourself or register as unemployed at the Labor Office.
Loss of unemployment status and health insurance
It is important to remember that the right to health care benefits (i.e., health insurance) for unemployed persons begins when you become unemployed. It ends 30 days after you lose your unemployment status.
When is an unemployed person insured by the Labor Office?
There are two requirements. First of all you must be registered as unemployed. It does not matter whether you receive a benefit or not – in both cases the Employment Office must insure you if the second condition is fulfilled. What is the second condition? You cannot have another title to insurance, and in particular you cannot be on a pension.
If you have another health insurance status, the Employment Office will not register you with the Social Insurance Institution. But do not worry. In such a situation we will be covered by protection due to this other title to insurance.
It is worth remembering that the health insurance of an unemployed person can cover not only him. But also chosen members of his/her family (on condition that they fulfill the requirement of not having any other insurance option).
Private insurance for an unemployed person
If for some reason you do not want to register as unemployed or you simply lost your status and still do not have a job, you can think about individual insurance.
You can buy it from the Social Insurance Office (then you will have access to basic medical care on the same basis as a working person) or from an insurance agency.
Private insurance has the advantage that after paying a similar amount as in ZUS, you have access to a much wider range of services (no queues, home visits, diagnostic tests) than in the case of standard insurance.
Taking into account the rates (about 400 PLN per month in Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) and about 500 PLN for a private medical package for a year), it is really worth considering whether it pays off to reach for ZUS’s offer. And before you buy insurance – compare offers from different companies, for example in our health insurance comparison engine Punkta, formerly mfind!
