A couple of years ago, working for Manpower Staffing Services, it was possible to get a decent long term major medical plan at a price that was comparable to the COBRA payments made after being laid off from a company that had traditional group health coverage (Major Medical PPO). Today that is no longer the case. Today, both Kelly Services and Manpower have health benefit plans called "Limited Benefit Health Indemnity Insurance Plans" or "Short Term Major Medical Insurance."

The website for Kelly's plan www.lesliebenefits.com claims that Major Medical/PPO plans are available in most states, but when you call them you find out that this does not include California.

Kelly's/Leslie's short term major medical plan covers you for up to 12 months and then lapses so that all conditions still occurring after 12 months are classified as "pre-existing conditions."

It is questionable weather it is even legal to offer such plans as "medical insurance". Weather it is strictly legal or not depends on some fine print, such as what state the benefit plan is administered from, according to a nurse that I spoke to recently.

Neither the Kelly nor Manpower plans in CA currently cover mental health problems. Manpower covers 5-10 doctor visits per year and a few thousand dollars for surgery, that's it.

This type of "health plan" is a sick joke.

A better plan is to convert your COBRA PPO or HMO plan to a gauranteed coverage plan after COBRA period of 18 months expires. As an example, my provider, Health Net, will cover pre existing conditions under such a plan, at approximately double the COBRA premium. You are entitled to this type of coverage under the Health Insurance Portablity Act. Left out in the cold are those folks who did not originally work for a company that had major medical PPO or HMO coverage.