Health Insurance

14 Continuation Coverage or an Individual Policy? If you lose your job or your hours are cut, you may have the choice to enroll in continuation coverage or buy an individual/family policy. Compare the price, benefits, and physician networks carefully when you make this choice. For example, an individual plan is often less expensive than continuation coverage, but the benefits may be different and you may not be able to see the same doctors. Buying Individual Health Insurance on Your Own People usually buy individual health insurance because they do not have group insurance through a job and they do not qualify for any public program. You can buy an individual policy from an insurance company, a licensed health insurance agent, or from Covered California- California’s Healthcare Marketplace. You can reach Covered California at www. coveredca.com or call them at (800) 300-1506. There are many kinds of individual policies, with different costs and benefits. You should study your choices carefully so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs. See pages 25–26 for tips on choosing a policy. Medi-Cal Medi-Cal is another option for getting health coverage for you and/or your family. Your county’s social services offices or Covered California can tell you if you qualify for this free coverage. You can sign up for Medi-Cal year round. See page 17 for details.