See here for my original post on obtaining health insurance as a Locum Tenens Nurse Practitioner:
Over the past few years, I found myself working mostly with Comp Health because they have the contract with the geriatric clinics I typically work with. Since Comp Health pays traveling nurse practitioners as W2 employees, one of the benefits they provide is health insurance.
While having this health insurance, I make sure to get all of my preventative care and labs done while on assignment. I always take some time off during an assignment to go back home. At this time, I will schedule appointments with my Dentist and Primary Care Provider. Since I am still on assignment, then these appointments are all covered by my employer provided health insurance.
Last year, I even had a minor surgery. I decided to plan it while on assignment so I had good insurance to cover the majority of the expenses. I took a week off after the surgery and then returned to my assignment.
When I am not working with Comp Health, I get a high deductible health plan from the Marketplace (Affordable Care Act health insurance options). My premium is low ~$200/month. I just keep this insurance in case of a medical emergency.
The reason I am sharing this is because if you know you will need some type of medical procedure soon, I recommend you taking on an assignment with a W2 agency that provides health insurance. Then schedule your medical appointments in the middle of your assignment so that it can be covered by the health insurance provided by the agency. Most sites do not mind if you take some time off as long as you let them know ahead of time.
