Health Insurance Plan - Who Should Opt For Short-Term Health Insurance?

When anyone talks of health insurance they only know about the conventional types of health insurance that is available. But, one must remember that the traditional health insurance plan may not be viable in every case.

This may not be possible because the person might be changing jobs and be in between jobs; or they may be employed with an agency which does not provide coverage to part-time employees or temporary employees; or it might be because you are still in college and studying, etc. In these kinds of circumstances it is not possible to take up a conventional health insurance plan. But, most people these days do not feel safeguarded if they are not covered by any health insurance for which reason, such people should opt for a short-term health insurance plan.

Short-term health insurance act as a stop gap to provide insurance coverage to people who cannot for many reasons, opt for a conventional health insurance plan. As the name indicates short-term health insurance is provided for short duration of time and is provided with the belief that the person will switch over to a more conventional plan when it is possible. This plan is designed to help a person have coverage in case of an emergency to meet expenses towards medical treatment like ambulance fees, x-rays, intensive care and emergency care, etc. Though the benefits provided with short-term insurance might vary from one company to the other, the primary benefits will include what is mentioned above. But, usually these plans will not provide coverage for routine checkups and for any preexisting conditions. People looking for such options must choose a traditional health insurance plan.

The premium towards short-term health insurance will differ from one company to the other and might be anywhere in the range of $25 to $100. This also depends on the benefits provided by the company and on the deductibles that starts off at $250 and can go up to $5,000. The payout provided by these policies are also quite modest and will be somewhere in the range of one to two million. The coverage will be provided for particular short periods of time and may vary from a month to three months. Some policies will even provide coverage for around six months although none of these policies might be for more than a year.

But, how does one obtain short-term health insurance? This can be searched on the internet and you will be provided a list of the companies that have this kind of insurance plan with them. By looking online, one even gets the opportunity to compare similar policies offered by other insurance companies. Before opting for a short-term insurance plan with any company it is best to research the benefits provided by the policy and to know your liabilities in detail. This will ensure that you get the maximum benefit out of the plan and not be in for any kind of surprise if any claim needs to be made in the case of any unfortunate event such as an illness or injury.
By.Dana B. Smith