{"id":4397,"date":"2017-11-24T09:01:06","date_gmt":"2017-11-24T17:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/?page_id=4397"},"modified":"2026-06-25T15:20:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T22:20:16","slug":"options-for-those-ineligible-for-uw-coverage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/options-for-those-ineligible-for-uw-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"Health insurance options for those ineligible for UW coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/options-for-those-ineligible-for-uw-coverage\/#Affordable-Care-Act\" >Affordable Care Act<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/options-for-those-ineligible-for-uw-coverage\/#Short-term-health-insurance\" >Short-term health insurance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/options-for-those-ineligible-for-uw-coverage\/#Professional-associations\" >Professional associations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/options-for-those-ineligible-for-uw-coverage\/#Stay-on-a-parents-plan\" >Stay on a\u00a0parent&#8217;s plan<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/options-for-those-ineligible-for-uw-coverage\/#COBRA-for-Students\" >COBRA for Students<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/insurance\/health\/options-for-those-ineligible-for-uw-coverage\/#Other-resources\" >Other resources<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>This page describes the health insurance options that are available for people who are not eligible for one of the University&#8217;s health insurance programs. UW employees and their dependents who are no longer eligible to participate in a UW medical plan should first consider exercising their right to insurance <a href=\"http:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/life-events\/cobra-continue-your-insurance\/\">continuation through COBRA<\/a> before exploring the options described on this page.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Affordable-Care-Act\"><\/span>Affordable Care Act<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the law that is commonly referred to as &#8220;health care reform&#8221; or &#8220;Obama Care.&#8221; It became law in 2010 and brings major improvements to our health care system by increasing access to affordable health care for individuals, families, seniors, and businesses.<\/p>\n<p>In Washington, everyone who still needs health insurance can\u00a0use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wahealthplanfinder.org\/_content\/Homepage.html\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Healthplanfinder<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This is where, if you are a Washington citizen with low income, you can apply for Apple Health, a combination of two programs formerly known as Children&#8217;s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Medicaid Premium Payment Program.<\/p>\n<p>Or, if you don&#8217;t qualify for Apple Health, you may still qualify for a subsidized health care plan.<\/p>\n<p>Residents of other states should use\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthcare.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\">healthcare.gov<\/a> to find the health exchange for their state.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Short-term-health-insurance\"><\/span>Short-term health insurance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This type of non-renewable and relatively inexpensive plan provides coverage ranging from 30 days to six months. This can be useful if you are in a job transition, you do not have access to COBRA rights, or you are visiting the UW from another state or country. Use an internet search engine to learn more and shop wisely.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Professional-associations\"><\/span>Professional associations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many professional and fraternal associations offer health insurance to their members. Association plans vary widely in the way that benefits are administered. Be sure to educate yourself about the provisions of coverage. Some association plans have a very limited and restricted payment schedule. You are responsible for all costs above the scheduled amount.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stay-on-a-parents-plan\"><\/span>Stay on a\u00a0parent&#8217;s plan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Under the Affordable Care Act, if your parent&#8217;s plan covers children, they may keep you on their health insurance policy until you turn 26 years old. Check the Certificate of Coverage for your parent\u2019s health plan.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"COBRA-for-Students\"><\/span>COBRA for Students<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Students age 26 and older who are no longer eligible for coverage under a parent\u2019s health insurance plan may be eligible for COBRA. There are other categories that may make individuals eligible for 18 to 36 months of COBRA. For example, special rules may allow extended coverage for an individual who is disabled within the meaning of the Social Security Act. For more information about COBRA, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/webapps.dol.gov\/dolfaq\/dolfaq.asp\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Department of Labor&#8217;s FAQs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other-resources\"><\/span>Other resources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurance.wa.gov\/about-oic\/what-we-do\/advocate-for-consumers\/shiba\/\" target=\"_blank\">Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA)<\/a>\u00a0is a statewide network of volunteers trained by the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner to assist, educate and advocate for consumers about health insurance and health care access issues. The service is free.\u00a0Community Clinics offer health care on a sliding fee schedule. Contact a SHIBA HelpLine representative for a list of Community Clinics in your area at:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurance.wa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\">Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner<\/a>\u00a0has responsibility for regulating all insurance business in Washington under the authority granted by the insurance laws of this state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Find health insurance options that are available for people who are not eligible for one of the University&#8217;s health insurance programs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"parent":4364,"menu_order":66,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-4397","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4397\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}