More About Affordable Short Term Health Insurance and Temporary Health Plan Coverage

Short term health insurance is ideal for individuals in transition. If you are one of the 16 million Americans who will be buying temporary health insurance this year, there is an affordable health insurance policy for you. In fact, if you are eligible to buy such coverage, competition among the insurance industry has now driven the cost of short term health insurance down to much less than the cost of a monthly car payment.

Who might need short term health insurance? Maybe you have just graduated from college and are no longer covered under your student health insurance or you moved out on your own, and you're no longer covered under your parents' medical insurance plan. Or perhaps you're employed part-time, going to school, leaving home for the first time, or even retiring early. Maybe you've found a new job, but your new employer's group health insurance plan won't kick in until you've been with months. These or other reasons an individual without health insurance should look into purchasing short term health insurance. An affordable health insurance plan just might the perfect solution for you especially when you are in need of a short term medical insurance policy.

Short term medical insurance is designed for healthy individuals and families who do not need coverage for pre-existing conditions and can provide a low-cost safeguard in case of illness or injury that might develop during the coverage period. However, just as the name implies, short term health policies are a temporary solution. While some plans now offer coverage for up to 36 months, most short term policies limit the amount of time that you can keep the policy to 12 months or less. Short term health insurance is typically bought in one-month increments which makes it convenient to drop at the end of any month.

The most important thing to remember when buying individual or short term health insurance is that these short term plans are not designed to cover any pre-existing conditions. This limitation explains why the monthly premiums are so low for this kind of coverage. Pre-existing conditions are typically defined as any condition or symptom which you had during the 36-month period prior to the start of coverage. For this reason, its always a good idea to be honest when you answer every question on the application itself, otherwise you may wind up having your claims for pre-existing conditions being denied.

All short term medial insurance policies have a list of limitations and exclusions, so its also advisable to be sure to read what is your what is not included. Do not be bashful about asking your agent questions prior to the purchase, especially when it comes to your medical insurance coverage.