28 Apr
New Graduates Face Tougher Task of Getting Hired
Posted in Career, Jobs and Careers by Damien 3 Comments
As nearly 1.4 million college graduates complete their last exams and prepare for commencement, many will face another rite of passage: being dropped from their parents’ or school’s health insurance. This graduation season, however, has a bright spot with GradGuard.com providing an alternative answer to the impending world of the uninsured — health insurance plans designed as “right-fit” coverage for young adults.
With a 22 percent decline in college hiring rates since 2008, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the prospects for members of this year’s graduating class to gain full-time employment, which includes a company-sponsored health insurance program, are dim. With fewer grads able to rely on employers for group health insurance, they must look elsewhere to protect their health and financial well-being.
“Out-of-pocket medical expenses range from $80 for a check-up to well over $5,000 for an unexpected ER visit — that amount of money can be overwhelming right out of school,” says John Fees, Co-Founder and CEO of GradGuard.com. “We have done the homework at GradGuard to provide the right coverage so health concerns don’t become a life-altering financial risk.”
GradGuard specializes in one-stop shopping only offering policies that have been fully researched and will meet the individual needs of 20-somethings. The service is specifically designed to cater to college students, new graduates and young professionals matching appropriate insurance coverage at an affordable price.
One example of this “right-fit” match is short-term major medical health insurance — a less known alternative for graduates, especially in a soft job market. GradGuard.com offers this type of temporary policy to help bridge the gap between the plan maintained as a student to a permanent health insurance policy offered by an employer. GradGuard also offers several affordable permanent health insurance alternatives.
“Health insurance is often overlooked by college grads because it is confusing and appears expensive,” explains Fees. “GradGuard has created an easy and affordable way to insure young adults — even in the short term, while taking the mystery and confusion out of the process. The reality is that new grads can’t afford to NOT have health insurance and the peace-of-mind that comes with it. The last exam question for new graduates is simple: Are you covered?”
Mike
on May 29 2009
This is all good information, most graduates do not realize they are taking without health insurance. A single major medical problem and they could very well face bankruptcy. It is important that all grads talk to someone who can set them up with the right plan. If they don’t want to talk to anyone they need to do the research themselves because if you don’t compare you could end up paying too much.
Dustin
on June 9 2009
Yeah, 22 percent really doesn’t surprise me. You could say I’ve gone to ‘extreme’ measures to get a job. I guess I always thought Degree=Great Career instantly……I just graduated with a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Political Science. In this economy, with my degree, finding an entry level job with a reasonable salary (this excludes local government agencies) and a decent health care plan (seems to exclude everyone else) was seemingly impossible. I wound up moving to Costa Rica to teach english (not on my life’s agenda, but who doesn’t like a little adventure? I know a few people who have done this (mostly in Asia); it seems the best way to avoid the American recession is to avoid America (terribly unpatriotic of me, I know). It’s not my permanent career choice, but it’s paying the bills..plus the fishing and surfing down here is fantastico! My health premiums are higher than I would like, but you can’t be too careful here in the jungle, no. Driving is nuts here compared to Nowhere, Texas. My company insisted I get a liscense, even thought half of the yahoos down here don’t bother with one. I speak Spanish, but communicating with Costa Rica’s version of the DMV (or any administrative offices here) is worse than the actual DMV. I guess I’m lucky my health insurance is American, or I might die of old-age while waiting for my number to be called. Finally my boss tells me to hit up Costa Rica HQ .com to find assistance in getting my DL…you’d think you don’t really need a liason to complete such a trite little task, but…well, you do. Next I’ll probably have to petition the American embassy to ensure my trash gets picked up every once in a while. That’s expensive as heck too in this economy, it seems, maybe I should be in sanitation, not education. Maybee I’ve ranted enough? Probably so, I’ve heard it’s bad for your health.
Damien
on June 10 2009
True enough, America was once christened as the land of opportunity. But now it seems the other way around. And while we are all still keeping our fingers crossed, having to console ourselves with whatever type of work we can get our hands on at the moment is all we can do.
It makes you wonder if there is something to look forward when we graduate. One thing is for sure, there is minimal probability you will land you dream job given this worldwide recession. But perhaps you can just charge it to experience for now until everything settles down. As they say, thing can only get better when you are at the bottom.