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Short term health insurance underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company in your state.

Jorge is losing his current job. He finds it’s too expensive to keep his health insurance through COBRA.

Annie is a self-employed graphic designer confused about what kind of health insurnace she needs. She wants more time to make a decision.

Tina is turning 26. She can no longer stay on her parent’s health insurance, but isn’t fully employed with access to insurance through her employer.

Short Term Insurance That Fits Your Needs

Why A Short Term Insurance Plan?

Because Not All Situations Are The Same

Short term medical insurance plans exist largely because they are flexible insurance that fits the needs and budgets of many different people in many different situations.

ShortTermPlans.com is here to help you find short term health insurance, underwritten by Golden Rule, that works for your temporary medical coverage gap.

A short term plan might give you time to decide while you are still covered.

Short term health insurance might help you stay insured while you find a longer term plan you can afford.

A short term plan might be just the health insurance coverage you need until you settle into your next phase.

Short term plans provide temporary medical insurance for those times you’re not covered. Whether it’s called short term health insurance, temporary health insurance or even term health insurance, it’s health insurance you apply to have for a short, specific number of days (30 day minimum), weeks or months.

The Final Rule enacted by the federal government defined Short Term Limited Duration insurance with terns of less than 12 months, or put another way, terms up to 364 days. This is up from the under 90-day term length these plans have had for the past 2 years.

So, terms of almost a year are available in some states. However, because states still have final authority to regulate short term insurance, plan lengths will vary depending on where you live.

Short Term health insurance is not Affordable Care Act (ACA) minimum essential coverage (MEC), what’s often called Obamacare. These plans won’t include all the essential health benefits areas ACA plans are required to include.

Also, unlike ACA plans, you aren’t guaranteed to be accepted for a short term plan. You have to apply, answer medical questions and be accepted.

When you’re shopping, remember that short term health insurance is a category, not a product. Different short term plans have different features or benefits, sometimes vastly different

In contrast, Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans are all required to cover the same 10 essential health benefit areas. Short term plans vary widely, so be sure to check what you are buying.

Choosing a Short Term Health Plan

  • Start with companies that have been selling for a long time. ShortTermPlans.com points you to Short Term Medical plans underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company, an affiliate of UnitedHealthcare that's been selling these types of plans for over 30 years.
  • Don’t just take the lowest premium. Consider the coverage you’re getting. Make sure you can choose from a range of lifetime maximums and out-of-pocket deductible and coinsurance levels. If a company doesn’t have multiple plan options so you can find the best short term health insurance plan for your situation, shop somewhere else.
  • Short term plans let you choose the number of coverage days you need. However, before you apply, make sure you have the freedom to drop your plan if you find a long-term insurance solution and may be refunded a portion of your premium.
  • Be careful dealing with companies that try to sell the idea that short term plans cover the same things as Affordable Care Act plans. They don’t.
  • By putting these and a few other key points into a short term shopping checklist you can start to sort out the best short term health insurance plans for your situation.

Short Term Insurance Shopping Checklist

  • Look for companies you recognize, or ones that are a trusted name in insurance.
  • Make sure you’ll have access to a large network of physicians and facilities with provider network discounts on eligible services the carrier has negotiated.
  • Check if doctors and hospitals you use are already a part of the provider network.
  • Look for companies offering multiple plan levels and options like a choice of deductibles, lifetime maximum limits, or coinsurance rates.
  • See if the company has a back-to-back plan option, so you can apply again.
  • Make sure the company doesn’t suggest short term plans are the same as ACA plans. They’re not.
  • Consider if the company has supplemental plans like dental, accident, or vision.
  • Confirm that you can drop the plan and be refunded premium payments.
  • Don’t just take the cheapest monthly payment. Pick a plan with benefits that fit your needs.

Money Saving Tips

  For Short Term Health Insurance  

 

You may be looking at short term health insurance because cost is a big concern. Short term plans generally have less expensive premiums than ACA plans have, but if you want to save even more on a plan, consider these tips. They may help you cut your costs and find the best short term health insurance rates for your situation.

  1. Stay in-network for care
    In-network doctors and hospitals have agreed to provide care at negotiated prices. By staying in-network, you can save money.
  2. Pay your total premium up front
    Some companies discount your premium if you can pay right away for the time you want to be covered.
  3. Go with a higher deductible
    By agreeing to pay more out of pocket before the insurance starts paying, you often reduce your premium payment.
  4. Choose a plan with fewer benefits
    Different levels of coverage are available for different prices. Consider what benefits you really need.
  5. Choose a Per Cause deductible option, if offered
    Some companies reduce your premium by choosing to pay a separate deductible for each illness or injury rather than one deductible for the whole time you’re covered.

Short Term Insurance Costs


costs Deductible Coinsurance Out-of-pocket maximum Lifetime maximum What you pay for expenses covered by your insurance plan before the insurance company starts paying. After you’ve met your deductible, the percentage you pay toward covered expenses. The top amount you will have to pay during a term toward expenses covered by the plan. The most the insurance company will pay out during your lifetime toward covered expenses.