How do I get health insurance?

I have a bit of a situation on my hands. A friend of mine finished high school about two years ago, but she hasn't really done anything since—no unemployment office visits, nothing. Because of that, she hasn't had any health insurance coverage for these past two years. Now, she’s finally motivated to get her life on track, but she’s completely lost regarding the process... how to start, where to go, what paperwork is required. I think I heard somewhere that you might not even need to visit the state employment office anymore if you just want to sort out health insurance, that it's handled separately now? I guess I'm wondering if there's any truth to that. Does it cost anything? What documents should she bring, and where does she actually need to show up? She lives in a small suburb outside of Chicago, so she was thinking about heading into the city to take care of everything at once while she's out there. Also, does the coverage kick in immediately? I realize it probably takes a few months for the actual ID card to arrive in the mail, but I mean the coverage itself. Thanks in advance.

fadedranger10 said:I have a bit of a situation here—a friend of mine finished high school about two years ago, but she hasn't dealt with the unemployment office or anything since. Because of that, she hasn't had any health insurance coverage for these past two years. Now, she’s finally ready to get her life together—which is great, really—but she’s completely lost on how to actually start the process. I heard a rumor that you might not even need to visit the unemployment office anymore if you just want to get covered, almost like it's a separate thing now... Is that actually true? Does it cost anything, and what paperwork does she need to bring? She lives out in a small town near Philadelphia, so she was thinking of just heading into the city to handle everything at once. Also, does the coverage kick in immediately? I know the physical ID cards can take months to arrive, but I'm wondering about the actual status. Thanks in advance.

Her best bet is to contact the local health insurance office directly.
There is plenty of helpful info on their website:www.healthcare.gov

To qualify for health insurance coverage, you either need to be currently employed or officially registered as unemployed. My suggestion? Just find a quick gig for a week or two to get on someone's payroll. Once that period ends, you can de-register from that job and then sign up for unemployment benefits. That should get your health insurance sorted out.