The day comes when you lose your job and, at the same time, you and perhaps your family also lose your medical insurance. Happily, temporary medical insurance is something that can keep you afloat until you are able to get a new job. A short term medical insurance policy will cover your health care needs from the time you lose your job until you are eligible for benefits under another employer’s plan.

Where should you start looking for a temporary health insurance policy?  Just like a lot of people today, your initial 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 give you a list of companies which offer short term medical insurance and even a handful which will tell you exactly what it is. Knowing just what short term health insurance is and, just as importantly, what it is not is going to help you shop for the right policy and will stop you from being scammed.

Firstly, each state has its own brand of temporary health insurance plan to help you hold onto the health insurance from a previous employer. For instance, in Minnesota the plan is called a Cobra Plan and will provide you with cover until you get a new job. While we are on the subject, state law also requires your employer to tell you about your eligibility for Cobra coverage.

Commercially available temporary medical insurance policies usually run from one to twelve months, although a lot of insurers restrict their policies to six months, and will provide the majority of the benefits which are offered on their long term policies. The greatest difference you will find is that the contract is non-renewable and if you want to keep your coverage you will have to take out a further new plan. Bear in mind however that this type of plan is only intended for temporary use and not for long term use.

Some things which will most likely not be covered are wellness checks and preventative care and temporary health plans will also not normally provide cover for dental or optical care. Additionally, they are also normally quite strict when it comes to denying coverage for pre existing conditions. You can usually get coverage extended to your spouse and children. Finally, you will find that the majority of policies will range in price from around $25 to $100 a month.

Keeping this in mind, you can start to work your way through the results of your search and examine the lists of insurance companies to find one that meets your requirements. In doing so you will find that many sites will provide you with a facility to get an individual health insurance quote online.

Yet another good place to look for cover is to your present car or home insurance provider as it is likely that they will also have a medical insurance policy that you can get. If you are getting the plan through your own insurer, there might well be a discount available to you for having multiple policies with them.

Your local phone book may also list several places for you to purchase short term medical insurance cover in your area.

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Filed under: Health Insurance

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