Most people find out their employer health cover has lapsed at the worst possible moment.
Not when they’re planning to leave. Not during the notice period. But weeks later — when they try to make a claim and discover the policy they thought they had no longer exists.
This is not unusual. It is, in fact, the standard.
The health coverage that felt permanent — always renewed, never thought about — is entirely contingent on you staying in that specific job. For many women, this is the first time they’ve thought about it.
A career change, a maternity leave that extends beyond the statutory period, a break to care for a parent, burnout — any of these creates a gap. The gap may be days. It may be months. It may be longer. And during that gap, you are uninsured.
Changing jobs. The period between leaving one employer and joining another — even if it’s two weeks — is a coverage gap. Most people assume the new employer’s policy kicks in on day one. It often doesn’t. There’s typically a waiting period of 30 to 90 days before group cover begins.
Taking a career break. A break for any reason — maternity, family care, study, rest — means you are outside the employer system. No group policy. No renewal. The only coverage you have is whatever you own personally. If you own nothing personally, you have nothing.
Becoming self-employed or starting a business. The transition from employed to self-employed is celebrated for many reasons. Coverage portability is rarely one of the conversations that happens before the transition. The day you stop being an employee, your group policy ends. You are now responsible for arranging your own cover — at individual rates, with individual underwriting, and with any pre-existing conditions now on your disclosure record.
Before you leave any job, ask HR one specific question: “What is the exact end date of my health coverage under the group policy?”
Then ask yourself: do I own a personal health policy that is entirely independent of my employment?
If the answer is no — that’s the gap to address before you hand in your notice, not after. Map what you have, what lapses, and what you need to own personally. It takes one conversation. It changes everything.
A personal health policy that you own is the most important insurance decision an employed woman can make. It travels with you through every job change, every break, every transition.
What to look for:
A policy in your own name is the foundation that travels with you — through every career move, every break, every transition you choose. It’s not about preparing for things going wrong. It’s about having the freedom to make your next move without looking over your shoulder.