Applying earlier to grad school to stay on health insurance?

[Eternal Icicle]

I graduated with a B.A. in 2012, and my plan was to work in & around my intended field for 4-ish years before going to grad school for a Masters.

My mom brought up the whole health insurance on her plan until I'm 26 thing, and I'm wondering if I should cut the time between undergrad and grad shorter to take advantage of this. I know most institutions offer some sort of health insurance you can buy into, but that just seems like one more expense on top of graduate school expenses. I have a pre-existing condition, and worry about going without health insurance or paying higher rates (especially if Obamacare gets over-turned).

Is a health insurance timeline a reasonable thing to consider when making graduate school decisions? I know plenty of people go straight (or nearly so) into graduate school, but I wanted this buffer of real world experience in order to bring practical knowledge into my academic pursuits.

[Bearcat1]

While the health insurance is certainly a valid concern, I don't think anything should rush you into grad school. It's definitely something you want to be ready for, because it's a lot of work and you need to be in the right place mentally. That being said, maybe you'll find you don't need the full four years you planned? Or, can you find a job during that four years that provides health insurance? I think the latter would be your best bet (and generally company insurance policies won't exclude coverage because you have a preexisting condition).

[ZacharyObama]

One beautiful part of Obamacare that hasn't been widely reported: when you reach 26 and can no longer be covered by your parents health insurance, because you were covered, the employer has to offer you COBRA benefits. In the past, this offer has been subject to substantially higher rates, but because of Obamacare your COBRA now has to come at the same price plus 2% administrative fee. You can receive COBRA benefits for up to 18 months, thus moving the final goal line from 26 to 27 and 1/2 years.

Just thought I'd throw that out there...as it's currently saving my wallet from more expensive/less benefits California High Risk Health Insurance - VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN.

[Eternal Icicle]

Thanks for the replies! I'm hoping to do Americorps, which offers health insurance but the coverage on my mom's plan would be better. I was more worried about the time in between a job before grad school and whatever job I get after grad school and being decently covered. Not a problem without solutions, though. Thanks for the thoughts!

[kateausten]

It's definitely a concern, but not something I'd let make my ultimate decision for me or anything. Options vary by state but I think you can usually get okay coverage for $200-ish a month as a young person or catastrophic coverage for less than that. (If you need a lot of prescriptions and doctor visits due to your pre-existing condition you might need more expensive comprehensive coverage). Also, a lot of TAs/RAs receive health insurance with their funding.

So, the health insurance issue could add a few thousand to your yearly expenses but it's nothing compared to the expense of doing a degree program that you change your mind about later, or not getting into as good of a school because non-academic experience is expected in your field and you had none, etc. It wouldn't be something I'd base a huge decision on. I do think that you'll find you're either itching to go back to school in less than 4 years or that you'll change your mind about what you wanted to go back to school for (unless your field has meaningful and well-compensated employment options and upward growth for people with only a Bachelor's). I am very pro-time-in-the-real-world-before-grad-school, it just gets draining working at jobs that aren't leading to your ultimate goal after a couple of years.