A new study by the University of Michigan reports that thousands of women in the U.S. are losing health insurance after divorcing. The study found that 115,000 women in the U.S. lose their private health insurance each year in the wake of divorce, largely because they no longer qualify as dependents under their partners’ policies or because they can’t pay premiums for private insurance. Many women who lose coverage reportedly stay uninsured or under-insured for more than two years following their split.
So what can divorced women do to keep health coverage? Once a divorce is finalized, ex-spouses are eligible for continued health insurance coverage in most employers’ plans under a Federal law known as COBRA. Keep in mind, however, that COBRA is temporary and lasts only up to 36 months.
Try to get your own health insurance as soon as possible, because if you develop a condition while on COBRA, a new plan may view it as a pre-existing condition and not insure you or force you to pay much higher premiums.