Why Should One Opt For a Temporary Individual Health Insurance?

Written by David Sinatra

The ever-rising cost of medical care has made it vital for everybody to at least have a medical insurance coverage so that no financial problem is faced at the time of accident or illness. Circumstances are not always favorable for buying a full coverage protection plan but you can still opt for a temporary individual insurance for health.

Another reason for taking a temporary health insurance plan is your job. If you are in between jobs and feel the need of an insurance coverage while you are still in search for another job, get an individual temporary health insurance for yourself.

What is a Temporary Individual Health Insurance Plan?

A temporary individual health plan or a short-term health insurance offers you affordable health coverage for a definite amount of time varying from 30-365 days. It is the high affordability of a temporary individual health insurance plan that makes it more attractive . You can get such a coverage by paying as little as $20 per month. However there are a few companies that provide coverage for up to 36 months. The coverage in this plan is not intended for your routing exams. You get security in case of an accident, emergency or some unforeseen sickness. The best part of a temporary health insurance is that you can visit any doctor or hospital, which is sometimes not included in an HMO or PPO insurance plan.

Temporary individual health insurance plans come with different combinations, limitations and exclusions. Therefore one must carefully review the plan and find if it meets his needs before taking it. Here are a few things you must keep in mind before buying an insurance plan:

Working of a Temporary Individual Health Insurance

Most of the temporary individual health insurance plans offer coverage for a period of at least one month and maximum one year. After the period is over, your policy gets terminated. If you want to apply for an individual health policy, the process is the same as with an individual policy. The applicant has to go through and clear the screening process to get the coverage. After this, you are told about all the details of premium, deductibles and duration of the plan. Most of the insurance providers will not allow you to change the total term of your policy.

Benefits of a Temporary Health Policy

A temporary health plan is a much cheaper option than Cobra temporary health insurance plan, if you have lost your job. Although, government has now made Cobra less expensive but the benefits attached with a temporary plan are more. The main benefit of taking a temporary individual health insurance plan is that it gets approved very fast, as the time frame is shorter. There are chances that you might get approval on the very next day of your application finalization. A temporary individual health insurance is also good for people who are expecting to get employed soon or just require coverage for time being. The policy in both the cases does not need a long-term commitment.

In case you already are medically unfit and require temporary health coverage, it is near to impossible because of limitations present in the plan. If you are generally healthy, then a short team individual health policy will be cheaper and perfect for you.

Most of the temporary health insurance plans provide coverage for surgeries, x-rays and laboratory tests, whereas, there is some other plan even providing coverage for rehabilitation service. Temporary individual health coverage is also good for a student who recently graduated from college and is still looking for permanent employment.

If you are above 65 years but still healthy, you are also eligible to apply for and get the individual health insurance policy without any problem.

With larger number of companies providing temporary individual health policy, the prices and premium rates have dropped to an unbelievable level. In maximum cases, you can get insurance by paying less than one hundred dollars every month. Taking an individual temporary health plan is an affordable option, if you are still waiting for the beginning of future long term insurance coverage.

Things to Consider

If there are chances of you leaving the job within the coming weeks, then a temporary individual health insurance is not the right choice. Almost all the companies have group insurance coverage policy and the minimum time for a temporary insurance coverage is one month. If you are in search of a job and expect to get one within three months, a temporary insurance coverage would be a good option. Another thing to consider is that if you are self-employed, still don't wish to join a company, a permanent individual temporary health insurance is a better option that the temporary one. These will at least lessen the hassles of renegotiating with the policy provider every time the policy gets terminated.