How many of you nurses do NOT have health insurance

smartnurse1982 · Oct 27, 2010

Many of us don't. My agency wanted me to pay 150 a week for a family of 4. I was working full time per diem hours(40 hours a week). I was taking home about 700 a week after taxes,so I can't afford it.

What I didn't like when I had no health insurance was the cocky attitude of the office staff and some nurses. I had just applied for this job and I asked about benefits. One job I had applied to became mad at me just for asking and literally threw the ppaper with weekly deductions at me. Another job said"you don't have Medicaid or other state aid? Try state aid. I didn't ask about state aid and if I'm working what made her think I had medicaid(I was a nurse making 21 dollars an hr) too rich for state aid,too poor to afford insurance and too smart for that job because I left.

Obviuosly they didn't value me as an employee. That agency was Psa,known for crappy,if any,benefits.

Still another nursing supervisor said"most people get it from their husbands" when I asked about health insurance.another co worker ithat i was training,after I told her the company doesn't offer any bennies said with a air of superiority"I don't need that,I get it from my husbands job". But she must have felt real stupid when I said"they don't have sick or vacation days either."

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Oct 27, 2010

ER nurse here with no insurance.

lkwashington · Oct 27, 2010

I started working prn April of this year. I didn't have insurance for a few months. Now I am insured. Its just me. Im not married and without children. So it is cheaper. I dont worry about PTO and holidays. I take off and work what is required of to work and keep going.

wishiwereanurse, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2010

i just got full time so i just got insured...but for a long time I was uninsured too, even when i was working close to full-time hours....

ramz · Oct 28, 2010

I'm uninsured...but soon as I land a full time position, its a must.

kythe, LPN · Oct 28, 2010

I haven't had insurance for over 3 years, the last time I was eligible for medicaid. I now have a full time position where I am eligible for insurance coverage starting the first of next month.

The thing is, I haven't really needed it so far. I don't have chronic medical conditions to manage. In the last 3 years, I've been to a doctor and paid out of pocket once. Now I will be paying more for health care with insurance than I ever did without. But I think it's worth the reassurance that I won't have a high hospital bill if I was ever in an accident or have a health issue develop.

allnurses Guide · Oct 28, 2010

I'm about to go the next two months without it but will be eligible in January.

I'm lately surprised at the number of, what I consider professionals, who are not offered insurance through their employers.

Vtachy1 · Oct 28, 2010

I have a $10,000 deductible HSA compatible plan that is individual. The company I work for doesn't offer any benefits whatsoever. It only covers hospital, nothing outside of the hospital.

itsmejuli · Oct 28, 2010

Pathetic isn't it?

I work part time and go to school full time, I have no insurance and can't afford an individual policy.

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Oct 28, 2010

I'm paying for health insurance but it doesn't seem to cover anything that would be called an illness or injury.

tyvin, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2010

Hawaii is one of the states that has mandatory health insurance provided by the employer for anyone working 20 hrs or more. For the working individual the amount they pay towards their policy is minimal as the employer picks up the rest. Now if you want to insure your family then you pay extra but it isn't that bad IMO.

Having lived in Hawaii most of my life I have never been without health insurance. Hawaii is very health care conscious and offers many clinics with sliding scale for the uninsured as well as free clinics constantly popping up everywhere for anything from cholesterol checks to free mammograms. We even have vans that go to the homeless to check on them and offer services.

They say "lucky you live Hawaii"