It can be mind-boggling.
Trying to sift through the endless details of multiple insurance plans.
What exactly do you need to best serve you and your gypsy lifestyle?
If getting your own insurance is new to you, or just confusing, have no fear.
We’re here to break down every detail about health insurance for travel nurses, so you can find the best health insurance option for you.
Table of Contents
- Options for Health Insurance for Travel Nurses
- Health Insurance Via a Travel Nurse Agency
- Health Insurance Via a Private Plan
- Travel Nursing and Health Insurance Benefits
- Do Traveling Nurses Get Health Insurance?
- How Does Health Insurance Work for Travel Nurses?
- Travel Nurse Health Insurance FAQs
- As a TNS Travel Nurse, What Health Insurance Benefits Would I Get?
- Trusted Nurse Staffing Provides Some of the Best Insurance for Travel Nurses
Options for Health Insurance for Travel Nurses
When it comes to medical insurance for travel nurses, there are two options:
- Insurance through a travel nurse agency
- Private insurance
Regardless of whether you decide to sign up for the travel nurse insurance plan provided by your travel nursing agency or choose to opt for a private plan, we’re here to make sure you fully understand the plan you’re signing up for.
Health Insurance Via a Travel Nurse Agency
There are a ton of reasons to work with a travel nurse agency, and health insurance for travel nurses is one of them.
Let’s take a look at the pros of going with health insurance for travel nurses through a travel nurse agency.
The pros of getting travel nurse insurance through a travel nurse agency include the following:
- Often the agency’s health insurance plan is cheaper than finding your own solution.
- The agency will handle all the details of the travel nurse insurance process, meaning you don’t have to spend your time shopping around.
- Sometimes an agency will cover a portion of your coverage as a bonus for signing to insure through them.
- Since the agency is providing insurance to a huge number of nurses, many insurance companies are willing to offer more coverage than a nurse could get on their own.
Many times, insurance companies are willing to offer more coverage to agencies that cover many nurses. This accumulation of coverage allows insurance companies to offer more benefits because they spread the risk over more plans.
This is called “risk pooling” and it is a very common practice in the insurance industry.
- Choosing to stick with the travel nurse insurance that is provided through your travel nursing agency means you don’t have to take the time to shop around to find your own health insurance.
The cons of getting travel nurse insurance through a travel nurse agency include the following:
- Not every travel nurse agencies’ health insurance starts right away. Sometimes plans don’t take effect until a month into the assignment.
- Travel nurse insurance through an agency only covers you while you are on their assignment. This means that if you work for more than one agency, you will have a gap in coverage between assignments.
- Insurance through an agency depends fully on your employment. If you like to travel between assignments, you would not be covered, so you will need to maintain employment to have consistent coverage. Additionally, if you were to get terminated, your coverage would also be terminated.
At Trusted Nurse Staffing, we offer employee-sponsored Blue Cross & Blue Shield health insurance as well as Guardian Dental and Vision insurance.
The pros at Trusted Nurse Staffing make it so easy that all you have to do is sign on the dotted line.
Health Insurance Via a Private Plan
Although many travel nurse agencies offer travel nurse insurance, some nurses opt to find their own coverage through a private plan.
Private insurance for travel nurses may be helpful for those who change agencies often. However, if you choose to change travel nurse agencies, paying for travel nurse insurance through COBRA can be expensive.
When looking into the best medical insurance for travel nurses, private insurance may be the best option for those who:
- Have a family
- Have a specific medical condition that may not be covered under the agency plan
- Change travel nurse agencies frequently
Private insurance for travel nurses can be a bit more pricey but can offer more flexibility.
Options for private insurance for travel nurses include:
- Preferred provider organization – PPO
- Health Maintenance Organization – HMO
- Point-of-service – POS
It is important to note that some private insurance plans can be lacking when it comes to providing good coverage for mental health and annual wellness benefits. So you will definitely want to take that into consideration when making your insurance decision.
Travel Nursing and Health Insurance Benefits
Travel nursing comes with a myriad of benefits, such as …
- Earning more money than you would on a traditional nursing path
- Working with a wide variety of patient populations
- The opportunity to sharpen your clinical skills
- Traveling the country
- Housing and meal stipends
- Learning new EMR systems
- Getting your credentials and licenses paid for
- Having the freedom and flexibility to work where you want, when you want
- The ability to take time off to spend time with family and friends
… PLUS having access to top-of-the-line travel nurse insurance.
Do Traveling Nurses Get Health Insurance?
They do! Many agencies offer health insurance for travel nurses, freeing them from the hassle of finding their own medical insurance. Alternatively, a nurse may also choose to seek private insurance for travel nurses through a private insurance plan.
How Does Health Insurance Work for Travel Nurses?
It depends on the agency. Some agencies’ health insurance for travel nurses doesn’t take effect until the nurse has been with the agency for a month.
Additionally, travel nurse insurance through an agency covers the nurse only while on assignment with that particular agency.
At Trusted Nurse Staffing, our team is continually evaluating our health insurance, designing it with the nurses and their lifestyles in mind.
We understand that travel nurses are a diverse group, ranging from family financial providers to those simply seeking to satisfy their Wanderlust.
So whether you live to explore or are working to support your family, we’ve got you covered.
Typical Travel Nurse Insurance Benefits
These include the “must-haves” of health insurance for travel nurses, such as:
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Multiple plan options, including both high and low deductible plans
- Dental and vision insurance
- Paid sick leave
Additional Travel Nurse Insurance Benefits
Here, we’re talking about the extras — the benefits that stand out and are designed to improve your quality of life.
Things such as:
- Pet coverage
- Retirement accounts
- Employee assistance programs
- Critical illness insurance
- Mental health benefits
- Life insurance
Travel Nurse Health Insurance FAQs
Everyone has questions, especially when it comes to health insurance for travel nurses.
Here are the answers to our top travel nurse insurance queries:
What Insurance Do Travel Nurses Use?
When it comes to the best insurance for travel nurses, there are several options to choose from, including:
- Travel nurse insurance through an agency
- ACA-compliant individual or family
- Short-term health insurance
How Can You Find the Agency With the Best Insurance for Travel Nurses?
If you’re wondering how to find the best travel nurse agency insurance, look no further.
It’s as easy as speaking to a Trusted Nurse Staffing representative!
Besides helping you choose the right travel nurse insurance for your needs, your TNS rep will:
- Listen to your goals, interests, and availability
- Analyze your education experience and work history to help you customize your resume to get the exact position you’re hoping for
- Put together a list of possible assignments, based on your individual skillset
- Set up a phone interview with the facility hiring manager
- Consult with you on the details of any job offers to help ensure that you’re getting exactly what you want
- Assist with all pre-hire compliance, including setting you up for drug screenings, making sure your certifications are up-to-date, and walking you through the onboarding process at your new facility
- Be available to you 24/7 as the go-to for all of your questions (including your health insurance questions) or concerns during your assignment
- Negotiate for you as needed
- Help extend your current assignment, if you would like, or help you choose your next adventure
What Happens to Health Insurance Coverage During Gaps in Travel Nursing Assignments?
Flexibility is one of the perks of travel nursing, and it’s not unusual for nurses to take time off between contracts to:
- Visit family and friends
- Enjoy the holidays
- Take a vacation; or
- Spend additional time exploring their current location
But what happens with your insurance while you’re off exploring? Are you covered during gaps in assignments?
At Trusted Nurse Staffing, your insurance starts on the first day of the month after you start your assignment, and coverage continues until the last day of the month in which your assignment ends.
If you decide to pick up another assignment within 30 days, your insurance continues.
If you decide to move on, your coverage would be terminated.
Some nurses choose to go through alternative insurance providers to ensure coverage during gaps.
What Is the Best Health Insurance for Travel Nurses?
When it comes to the best insurance for travel nurses, it depends on the needs of each individual nurse.
Options to choose from include:
- Travel nurse insurance through an agency
- Short-term health insurance
- ACA-compliant individual or family
As a TNS Travel Nurse, What Health Insurance Benefits Would I Get?
Trusted Nurse Staffing offers employee-sponsored Blue Cross & Blue Shield health insurance to all of our travel nurses.
As one of our nurses, you will receive full, prepaid health insurance.
Plus, you’ll get a loaded HRA card so that the cost of insurance comes out of our pocket, not yours.
Trusted Nurse Staffing Provides Some of the Best Insurance for Travel Nurses
Whether you’re interested in providing care to cancer patients or working as a labor and delivery nurse, Trusted Nurse Staffing can help you find the position that’s perfect for you.
Not only some of the best insurance benefits out there, but we go out of our way to help each of our nurses reach their travel nursing goals.
Here are a few of the things that make Trusted Nurse Staffing stand out from other travel nursing agencies:
- Our nurses have 24-hour access to their recruiters.
- As a smaller company, we are always here to answer the phone and address any questions or concerns that may arise.
- We provide prepaid health insurance, including a fully loaded HRA card.
- We offer dental and vision plans with options for low and high deductibles.
- Each of our new nurses receives a welcome box, complete with fun Trusted Nurse Staffing swag.
- We have a department specifically devoted to quality assurance, meaning we are ready and able to go to bat for our nurses.
- We have a great loyalty program, and as your employment with us continues, you’ll accumulate points that are redeemable for cool prizes.
What are you waiting for? Contact us at Trusted Nurse Staffing today!