Purchasing Temporary Medical Insurance

The day comes that you lose your job and, as a consequence, you and perhaps your family also lose your health insurance plan. Luckily, short term medical insurance is something that can keep you protected until you are able to find a new job. A short term medical insurance policy will cover your health care requirements from the date on which you lose your employment until you are eligible for benefits under another employer's plan.

But where do you start looking for a short term health insurance plan?  Like a lot of people nowadays, your initial stop will possibly be one of the internet search engines and these will produced a laundry list of directories. These directories each provide a list of companies that offer temporary health insurance and even a handful which will tell you precisely 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 best policy and stop you from getting scammed.

First of all, every state has its own brand of temporary medical insurance plan to assist you in holding onto the health insurance from a previous employer. For example, in Minnesota the plan is known as a Cobra Plan and will provide you with cover until you have a new job. By the way, state law also requires an employer to notify you of your eligibility for Cobra coverage.

Commercial short term health insurance plans usually last for from one month to a year, though a lot of providers restrict their plans to six months, and will provide most of the benefits that are offered on their long term contracts. The greatest difference you will find is that the policy is not renewable and if you wish to keep your coverage you will need to arrange a further new policy. Bear in mind however that this form of plan is only intended for short term use and not for long term use.

Some things that will perhaps not be covered are preventative care and wellness checks and temporary health plans will also not normally cover optical or dental care. In addition, they are also normally quite strict when it comes to denying coverage for pre existing conditions. It is also generally possible to get cover extended to your spouse and children. Finally, you will find that most plans will range in price from about $25 to $100 per month.

Bearing these things in mind, you can start to work your way through your search results and examine the lists of insurance companies to discover one that meets your requirements. You will find that many sites will provide you with a facility to get an online discount health insurance quote.

Yet another good place to look for cover is to your own car or home insurance provider as it is possible that they will also have a medical insurance plan which you can get. If you are purchasing the plan through your own insurer, there may well be a discount available for having more than one plan with them.

Finally, do not forget that your local phone book will also list a number of places for you to get short term health insurance cover in your area.