Short-Term Health Insurance

Short-term health insurance is a type of temporary coverage designed for individuals who need health insurance for a limited time. It’s often suitable for those transitioning between jobs or waiting for other coverage to begin. These policies generally have lower premiums and deductibles compared to traditional health insurance, but they also offer more limited coverage.

It’s crucial to understand the restrictions of short-term health plans before purchasing one. For example, these policies typically don’t cover pre-existing conditions, preventive care like routine check-ups, mental health services, or prescription medications.

If you're considering short-term health insurance, carefully review the policy details to know what is and isn’t covered. Don’t hesitate to ask your insurance provider any questions to ensure you fully understand the plan.

While short-term health insurance can be a useful option for temporary coverage, it’s essential to weigh the limitations.

You might consider short-term insurance if you:

Unable to apply for Affordable Care Act (ACA), also called Obamacare, coverage because you missed Open Enrollment and you don’t qualify for Special Enrollment
Waiting for your ACA coverage to start
Looking for coverage to bridge you to Medicare
Turning 26 and coming off your parent’s insurance
Between jobs or waiting for benefits to begin at your new job
Healthy and under 65 years old

The benefits of short term health insurance

Short-term health insurance offers you just the kind of flexible, fast coverage you need for those dynamic times of change in your life.

With short term medical plans1 you can:

Get covered fast, as soon as the day after application
Pick your deductible amount from several options
Pick your length of coverage, 1 to nearly 12 months in some states 2
Drop coverage with no penalty if a more permanent health insurance option comes along
You may be able to apply for another short term health insurance plan when the first one finishes, if needed 3
Access an extensive network of health care professionals, with 1.4 million physicians and other health care professionals and approximately 6,500 hospitals and other facilities
Get generally lower premiums than with ACA health insurance plans