You chose a career that takes you everywhere. Phoenix one contract, Nashville the next. You packed your life into a suitcase and made it work — because that's what travel nurses do.
But here's what nobody tells you before you sign that first contract:
You're on your own when it comes to health coverage.
Over 175,000 travel nurses are working across the U.S. right now. Most of them figured out the hard way that their health coverage is an afterthought — something bolted onto a contract, not built around their life. The average assignment runs 13 weeks. Thirteen weeks of coverage, if you're lucky. Then it's gone. And if your agency doesn't offer benefits at all? You already know the answer. You've been living it.
Picture this.
Your contract wraps up on a Friday. You've got three weeks before the next one starts — a little breathing room, some time to decompress. You've earned it.
Then Saturday morning you wake up with chest pain.
You're not dramatic. You're a nurse. You know the difference between anxiety and something real. This feels real.
And somewhere in the back of your head, before you even think about the ER, you think — am I covered right now?
That thought — that moment of doubt before you even think about your own health — that's the gap nobody talks about. Not in the contract. Not in the recruiter call. Not anywhere.
That's what it actually feels like to not have your own coverage.
Here's what we know after working with nurses like you for over 25 years:
The ones who feel the most free — who take the assignments they actually want, switch agencies when a better offer comes along, take time off without panic — they all have one thing in common.
They have their own plan. One that isn't tied to any agency. One that doesn't disappear when a contract ends. One that's theirs until they turn 65.
That's not a luxury. That's just smart.
Agency insurance — when they offer it at all — runs $400 to $500 a month. Deducted right out of your pay package. For coverage that evaporates the moment you stop working for them.
Your own independent plan? $150 to $350 a month. Yours. Portable. Not going anywhere.
Check off what your agency actually offers you. We'll show you what's missing — and what it could cost you if something goes wrong.
You take care of patients every single day. You show up, you figure it out, you make it work — no matter what city you're in.
It's time someone took care of you.
Two minutes. No obligation. Just answers.