Short term health insurance is ideal for individuals and families who are in the transition phase in their lives, and don’t have a basic health plan. The benefits of this type of plan vary, and some policies provide up to $5m for individual coverage. Short term health insurance policies are just a temporary solution to fill up the short-term insurance gap.

Most of the short term health insurance plans last 1-12 months, and can then be renewed for maximum of 36 months. Most insurance provides accept the credit card payments, and the process of getting the plan is easy.

When opting for short term health insurance, it is important to remember that it is a short term plan, and does not cover any pre-existing medical condition. The look-back period of these plans vary as per the state, and one can contact the state’s insurance department to find the applicable laws. Read the policy, its terms and conditions carefully before you buy it.

Candidates For Short Term Health Insurance

Short term health insurance plan is a good option for individuals temporarily out of work, or for those who have recently started a new job. It takes 1-6 months to become eligible for company’s group health insurance plan, hence to avoid lapse in coverage, this plan can easily fill the gap.

There are many grads looking for jobs that offer health insurance benefits. Till they are able to find such job, short term health insurance can fill the gap. If you are not a full-time student by the time you reach the cut-off age on your health insurance plan of your parents, you will be dropped from their policy coverage. Short term health insurance provides the insurance at low premium until you find a job which provides health insurance. It is also possible to enroll in individual health plan, but that will take some time for approval.

There could be some other reasons to be temporarily without insurance, such as early retirement, military discharge or people on strike. Short term health insurance policy can provide coverage till one qualifies for the permanent coverage.

Most of the insurance providers offer the short term health insurance policies to people under the age of 65 years. And, if someone has been denied the coverage once, he or she is not eligible to qualify for this policy. If you already have coverage, do not buy short term policy, as you will be asked many questions about other available coverage to find out which plan will be paying first. Having a double coverage is not good value for your money.