If you’re looking for health insurance for a short period
of time – from one to twelve months – temporary insurance
is your best bet. Short term insurance plans are good for people
who are between jobs, waiting for their group insurance to begin
covering them, or have recently graduated from college. Coverage
can start in as little as twenty-four hours. Typically, temporary
insurance plans offer coverage up to six months, though the longer
plans can cover you for up to a year. The application process
for this kind of insurance is much simpler than most long-term
kinds of insurance. This speeds the process of getting short term
insurance, as it allows your application to be processed quickly.
Short term insurance plans generally
are designed to be used to protect against unforseen accident
and illness over a short period of time. Because of this, they
often don’t cover
pre-existing conditions. Short term insurance can also invalidate
your eligibility for HIPAA coverage through your state. This coverage
is intended for people who have trouble getting insurance elsewhere,
and is often very expensive, but if you’re worried about
your eligibility for HIPAA coverage, you should avoid temporary
insurance plans. You can talk to your benefits advisor about this
in more detail.
You have the choice of paying for
your short term insurance monthly, or in a lump sum. Monthly
payments are best for people who don’t
know exactly how long they’ll need to be covered, or who
can’t afford the lump sum. Single payments up front are
less expensive, and good for anyone who can afford the sum and
knows how long they would like to be covered. When you pay all
of your insurance premiums up front for temporary insurance, you
must know the period of your coverage. Most short term health
plans only permit you to reapply once, so you can’t usually
extend your term much.
Short term coverage usually only
applies in units of thirty days, so even if you need less than
this amount of time, you will have to purchase an entire month
of coverage. Partial months cannot be refunded. Temporary insurers
will generally let you know if you qualify for your insurance
almost as soon as your application is processed. You’re not obligated to buy the plan, even
if you qualify, though some companies do charge a nonrefundable
application fee. Generally, dental and vision benefits are not
part of short-term insurance, since they don’t fall under
the accident or illness provisions of that insurance.
It is possible to insure just yourself,
or your whole family with short term insurance. This is helpful
if you’re between
jobs and your group coverage is going to lapse. Temporary insurance
is a good tool to keep your coverage continuous through changes
of employment or other life altering situations. It can act as
a safety net to keep you from mounting medical bills in case of
emergencies, and is less expensive than many kinds of coverage.