How to Find Part Time Jobs That Offer Health Insurance

Health insurance is important. A lot of traditional jobs offer large group health insurance plans and subsidize the cost to employees. But what if you work in a non-traditional job? In the arts perhaps. Maybe your spouse is the primary bread-winner in your family, but their insurance isn’t so good. You might be retired and just want a little extra income and lower cost health insurance. Many small business owners want to work for someone else just for the insurance. Whatever your reason, it may be a good idea to look for a part time job that will offer health insurance benefits.

BankRate.com brought attention to the growing trend of taking a part time job just for the benefits:

“Studies show that more than 54 percent of women aged 55-64 are working full or part-time jobs because they're nearing retirement without savings or insurance; they even work at minimum-pay jobs for health benefits."

Qualifying for Benefits as a Part-Time Employee

The good news is that more employers are recognizing the benefit of offering health insurance benefits (and other benefits) part-time employees. In most companies the employee is required to work a minimum number of hours per week, as well as qualify for a certain period of time before benefits are available. This can be extremely valuable.

Retail

Because of the cyclical nature of retail, many employees are willing to offer health care insurance in order to attract and retain quality part time employees.

According to CareerBuilder.com, many retailers offer health insurance to part-timers:

· Starbucks

· Whole Foods

· REI

· Barnes & Noble

· Nordstrom

· Lowes

· Land’s End

· Nike

· Cost Plus World Market

· JC Penney

Note: SmartMoney.com actually has a great article that includes the required hours and waiting period to qualify for benefits at many of the above companies.

Healthcare & Schools

Hospitals and other healthcare companies often offer health insurance in order to get good nurses. But you don’t have to be a nurse to benefit. The policy usually covers all jobs.

School districts also often offer health insurance to part-timers. All kinds of non-teaching jobs, including office workers and custodial staff may have access to healthcare benefits.

Public Office

Running for a position in local government might not get you rich, but it may cover your annual physical. This very interesting article about the cost of healthcare insurance for the council members of one municipality proves that sometimes we need to get creative to get coverage. If you have an interest in local government, this may be the perfect part time job for you.

Image Credit: emples, Flickr