Compare Individual And Family Medical Insurance Rates Online

Temporary medical insurance, also known as “short-term health insurance,” is available in every state. These policies are specifically offered when you only need coverage for less than a year.  As the nation’s premier website for temporary medical coverage, we try to review all of the available  health care plans, and provide you with the  lowest allowable rates in each state. We realize that every individual or family has specific needs and a particular time frame that they need coverage. Our specialty is researching medical plans that offer you the best choices when you don’t need coverage that long.

We utilize the “Get Free Quotes” section at the top of the page to make it easy for you to view your options. When you only need coverage for a short time frame (or possibly more), our goal is to find the lowest cost plan that still provides the coverage you need. We assure you that only the most-respected companies are used. If we wouldn’t use it ourselves or for our own family members, you won’t see it either.

Temporary medical insurance is designed for anybody that is without health insurance coverage…especially if they are in transition. Coverage is available to individuals, families, the self employed or anyone that is uninsured. This type of  plan is ideal for any US resident that is on COBRA, currently unemployed or between jobs, waiting for other medical coverage to become effective, or a recent school graduate. Premiums are typically 40%-65% less than a typical health insurance plan. Also, the standard short term temporary health insurance application is usually completed in less than 10 minutes. There are very few medical questions and it can be completed online or by mail/fax. If the application is taken online, processing will be much quicker.

Most short-term  insurance plans can be purchased in increments of 1-12 months. Billing is flexible as policies can be paid with an annual lump sum payment or monthly installments. If the policy needs to be canceled early, most health insurers offer a pro-rated refund on the unused coverage. Since this type of plan is designed to protect a short-term need, it should not be used if coverage is needed for more than 12 months. Policies are often approved within 24-48 hours since there are very few medical questions to answer and physicals are not required. Certain companies will approve a policy instantaneously. If you have major health conditions, you could be denied.

These plans cover unexpected injuries and illnesses. Typical coverages include inpatient hospital and outpatient services, emergency room and urgent care, ambulance and home care (subject to policy limits) and diagnostic services. Some short term health insurance plans also include office visit and prescription drug coverages. Once the specified deductible has been met (usually between $250 and $10,000) 80%-100% of the medical expenses will be paid by the policy. The remaining balance (if any) is paid by yourself until the total maximum out-of-pocket expense limit is reached. Lifetime maximum limits are usually around $1 million.

Although these plans feature low premiums, this type of policy is not designed to cover preventive benefits including routine physicals and well care visits, dental or vision expenses and long-term health care. Depending on the policy, your deducible may apply to each claim, or each cause. An “each clause” temporary medical insurance plan can result in substantial out of pocket expenses if multiple claims occur. Reducing the deductible will lower your possible maximum out of pocket expense.

But lower deductibles can cause the cost of the temporary health insurance coverage to rise. Also, pre-existing conditions are generally not covered and the renewal of the policy is not guaranteed. For that reason, this type of policy works best when the exact time frame of needed coverage is known. However, if your current policy expires and there have not been significant changes in your health, you may apply for an additional policy. Of course, if a heart attack or cancer was now being treated,  another form of coverage would have to be used. Perhaps a “guaranteed approval” plan.

Finding affordable  coverage is one of our specialties. To quickly compare policies, please view the “Get Free Quotes” section at the top of the page and provide your zip code.