The world of health insurance is an often complicated one that can be befuddling to a great many Americans. However, given the high costs of medical care across the country, everyone must have coverage to protect them in case something goes wrong.
Given these two truths, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed in securing a health insurance plan. This can be especially true if you’re in a situation where you have a coverage gap and only need insurance for a short period of time.
How can you secure the best temporary health insurance and what do you need to know about these kinds of plans work? It can be tricky but it doesn’t have to be impossible to understand.
Read on and we’ll walk you through the basics.
Do I Need Temporary Health Insurance?
Not everyone will need short-term health insurance. Many people will be able to secure long-term insurance through their employer or the public marketplace.
There’s no need to look for temporary health insurance unless you’re in a few particular scenarios. For example, a person who is waiting for their coverage to start under another plan might need something to briefly cover them during their waiting period.
Someone making the switch to medicare or an ACA plan might need something to cover them until those plans come into effect.
If you’ve lost your job and are looking for or waiting to start a new one? This is a great time to look for a temporary plan. In fact, securing temporary health insurance between jobs is one of the most common reasons people get this kind of coverage.
Young adults turning 26 and getting off of their parent’s insurance may also find that getting temporary insurance can be helpful until they have a more stable situation. Often, people who look for this kind of insurance are only seeking help in a worst-case scenario and are generally healthy.
Any person who needs something to cover them until they find a long-term solution might be able to secure the help they need via short-term insurance.
How Much Does it Cost?
If you’re looking into temporary health insurance plans, you’ll likely be curious about how much you may need to budget monthly for this coverage. Of course, that will all depend on the plan and the provider that you go with.
For this reason, it’s important to learn how to compare health insurance plans.
One benefit of a temporary health insurance plan is that it is generally more affordable than other insurance plans. You should be able to get some sort of plan for less than $100 a month if need be.
Again, the specifics of your pricing will depend on a wide variety of factors, including your personal medical background, age, gender, location, and many other factors. However, you can rest easy knowing that the short-term insurance plans you’ll look through shouldn’t break the bank.
Make sure to shop around, compare offers, and ensure you’re getting the best price possible from a provider.
Why Get Temporary Health Insurance?
There are many reasons to consider purchasing short-term health insurance coverage. This is fast and generally flexible coverage that won’t cost you an arm and leg. For many people, it’s a great bit of peace of mind during a transitional time during one’s life.
It’s worth mentioning just how quickly short-term health insurance can pop into action. Unlike long-term plans, which can take weeks to become active, a temporary health insurance plan will be able to cover you within a day or two after your application.
There is a lot of flexibility in securing this kind of coverage as it does not need to cover you for a long period of time. You can pick out your own coverage length, generally anywhere from one to twelve months depending on which state you are located in.
You should also have several options to choose between when picking out your deductible amount. You should be able to apply for another short-term plan when your first expires as well.
The premiums you’ll need to pay are generally lower than they will be via ACA plans and other major providers as well.
Securing the Best Temporary Health Insurance
How do you know if the coverage you’re looking into will really be the best you can get? If you’ve never shopped around for this kind of health insurance before, it can be hard to know if you’re doing the right thing.
First, you’ll want to ensure you’re getting as many quotes as possible from different providers. If the numbers you are receiving across multiple sources are similar, that means no one is likely overcharging you.
You should be able to tell if someone is trying to give you a bad deal by comparing it with other provider estimates.
It’s also not a bad idea to trust your gut. What services seem to be the most responsive and communicative with you? This will all matter later on when working with this service, so pay attention as you make your initial communications.
Understanding Temporary Health Insurance Plans
If you need health coverage for a short period of time, there should be a lot of coverage options available for you out on the market. The above information can help you to ensure you’re getting the best of the best temporary health insurance.
Need more health advice and information? Keep scrolling our blog for more.
