Buying Short Term Health Insurance
The day arrives when you lose your employment and, together with it, you and perhaps your family also lose your health insurance plan. Happily, temporary medical insurance is something which can keep you afloat until you are able to get a new job. A temporary health insurance plan will cover your health care requirements from the date on which you lose your employment until you are eligible for benefits from your new employer.
But just where do you begin looking for a short term medical insurance policy? Just like many people today, your first stop will possibly be one of the online search engines and these will provide you with a laundry list of directories. These directories will each provide a list of insurers that offer temporary health insurance and even some that will actually tell you precisely what it is. Knowing exactly what temporary medical insurance is and, more importantly, what it is not will help you shop for the best plan and keep you from being scammed.
First, each state has its own brand of short term medical insurance plan to help you hold onto the health insurance from a previous employer. For example, in Minnesota it is called a Cobra Plan and gives you cover until you get a new job. By the way, state law also requires an employer to tell you about your eligibility for Cobra coverage.
Commercially available temporary health insurance policies usually run from one month to a year, although many insurers restrict their policies to six months, and will offer the majority of the same benefits that are provided on their long term counterparts. The biggest difference you will see is that the contract is not renewable and if you want to hang on to your coverage you will need to take out a further new plan. Remember however that this form of policy is only intended for short term use and not for long term use.
Some things that will most likely not be covered are wellness checks and preventative care and short term medical plans will also not normally provide cover for optical or dental care. In addition, they are also generally quite strict when it comes to denying coverage for pre existing conditions. You can usually get coverage extended to your dependents. Finally, you will find that most plans will range in price from around $25 to $100 a month.
Bearing this in mind, you can begin to work your way through the results of your search and examine the lists of companies to find one which will meet your requirements. In doing so you will find that many websites will let you get an online discount health insurance quote.
Another excellent place to turn for cover is to your own home or car insurer as it is likely that they will also carry a medical insurance policy which you can get. If you are buying the plan through your existing insurer, there may be a discount available to you for having multiple plans with them.
Your local phone book will also list several places from which you can get short term medical insurance cover in your area.
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