There can be times in your life when you need a temporary health insurance option to help you and your family
. It may be while you are in between jobs or while you wait for another group policy to begin, but if you no longer have access to COBRA coverage or if you need a less expensive option then a short-term health insurance policy might be a good option for you.
When you get health insurance quotes online, short-term health insurance is one type of insurance you can get a quote for. They are usually inexpensive since they cover a very limited period of time and the likelihood of having significant claims occur during this period is low. That means that the insurance company does not take on a great amount of risk when insuring you.
The Downside of Short-Term Health Insurance
Much like catastrophic insurance policies, short-term health insurance policies will not likely count as creditable coverage under HIPAA. This can have a major impact on your future health insurance purchases and can mean that your pre-existing conditions can be excluded for a limited period of time from group policy coverage. It also means that when you have a short-term health insurance policy, you may not qualify for coverage under HIPAA. These are important considerations for individuals opting for short-term coverage instead of COBRA.
Speaking of pre-existing conditions, short-term health insurance policies generally exclude them from coverage. In addition, short-term plans often don't provide any benefits for preventative care or routine physicals.
The need for short-term health insurance policies is limited. They are not a good fit for every family and you should research a plan in full after getting online health insurance quotes in order to make sure it is a good fit for you and your family.