Health Insurance Articles
Health Insurance Options For Military Veterans
2010-08-01
As a veteran of the U.S. military, you have sacrificed for this country, and you deserve the gratitude of all the nation's citizens. However, now that your service is completed, you may not be aware of the options for health insurance that are available to you. Particularly if you are a combat veteran and were injured in the line of duty, having adequate insurance coverage may mean the difference between recovery and years of struggle.
Health care is available to all honorably discharged veterans through the Veterans Administration. This health care is generally free or provided at low cost. VA hospitals and clinics can be found in many metropolitan areas, and today, the VA prides itself in providing some of the best medical services available to address the specific needs of veterans. One of the downsides to VA medical care is that it may not be available within driving distance of your home.
For those veterans who cannot access VA medical services, as well as those who simply prefer to be treated by their own doctors, health insurance of some kind will be necessary. If you have been discharged or are retired from the military and are now working for another employer, check with your employer's human resources department. There may be one or more health insurance options offered as an employment benefit. Typically, employers will pay a large portion of the premiums and ask participating employees to contribute a smaller percentage of the cost through a payroll deduction.
If an employer-provided plan is not available through your new job, you can ask an insurance agent or broker for quotes for individual or group plans. You may also want to seek quotes online from one or more of the many insurance marketplaces available on the Internet. Individual plans may be more expensive than group plans, but may also be easier to find. Veterans' organizations often make arrangements with certain insurance companies to provide their members with discounts on all kinds of insurance coverage, including health insurance.
One option that you should try to avoid, as much as possible, is to forgo having some kind of health insurance. If you do enough research and get a broad range of quotes from different sources, you should be able to find insurance coverage to match your budget.
Finally, if you are a veteran who has retired from the military and do not plan to re-enter the workforce, you may be eligible for health insurance under Medicare when you have reached the Social Security retirement age. Check with the Social Security Administration regarding your eligibility. Medicare is not completely free, but it provides some of the best coverage for senior citizens' medical needs.
