Option 1 if your employer doesn’t offer health insurance

Buy an individual health insurance policy

Buy a short-term insurance policy for three months, for example. If you think you’ll get a new job with insurance soon, consider an individual policy for the short term. But if you need to extend the policy beyond the original term – say you haven’t found a new job yet – you may have to get a new policy. That means you’ll become a new customer all over again, which may make a difference in what medical bills get paid. So be sure to read the fine print to find out the limitations of short-term policies.
Buy regular individual insurance: It may be better to buy a regular individual policy and then cancel it when you get new insurance with a new job. Pay attention to the amount of the deductible, because the insurance won’t start paying until you’ve paid the typical $1,000 or higher deductible.

How to find an individual health insurance policy

Go to a broker Website. A broker can check out policies from different companies and match you with the best coverage based on your budget, the type of health plan you want for your family situation, lifestyle habits, pre-existing health conditions, and more.
Talk to an insurance agent: An insurance company’s agent can tell you about individual health insurance plans and about your options. You can find an insurance agent in the Yellow Pages.
Go to a health insurance company’s Website. You can get an online quote for individual health insurance coverage and research the best health plan for you and your family. You usually can apply for coverage online and, sometimes, even pay online.

When comparing individual health insurance policies, look at:

Medical coverage: What’s covered, what’s not covered.
Deductible: The amount you pay before the insurance kicks in.
Copayments: The amount you pay at the doctor or hospital.
Out-of-pocket maximum: The limit you have to spend for covered services in a year – with notable exceptions such as deductible, copays, and out-of-network coverage.
Pre-existing conditions: Is your current health problem covered? If not now, when?
Provider network: Is your doctor in the network? If not, what extra amount do you have to pay to see your doctor?