Health Insurance I recently started a new job and I cannot get insurance for 30 days and COBRA is very expensive. Can my husband and I just wait until the 30 days is over and then we are covered? Or, do I need to get COBRA or a short term 30-day policy? By Penny Gusner Penny Gusner Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. | Posted on May 8, 2014 Why you should trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. You don’t have to buy individual health insurance for a month if you don’t want to. This isn’t required to comply with the terms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, you may want to buy a short-term policy in case of illness or injury. The great thing about COBRA is that you have 60 days to elect it, and it will cover health claims retroactively within those 60 days. So you can wait to decide on COBRA, and if you have a claim you can elect COBRA for a month and have the claim paid. Read about the basics of health insurance and what is required under the ACA here. Penny GusnerContributor . .Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. Related Articles Can my parents kick me off their health insurance By Shivani Gite How to add a spouse to your health insurance plan By Huma Naeem Does my deductible start over if I change jobs? By Shivani Gite When does health insurance start at a new job? By Shivani Gite Can I drop my spouse from my health insurance at any time? By Nupur Gambhir When does health insurance expire after leaving your job? By Casey Bond