Buying Short Term Medical Insurance

The day comes when you lose your job and, as a result, you also lose your medical insurance plan. Fortunately, short term health insurance is something which can keep you protected until you are able to secure a new job. A short term health 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 do you begin to look for a temporary medical insurance policy?  Like a lot of people nowadays, your first stop will probably be one of the online search engines and these will provide you with a laundry list of directories. These directories each give you a list of insurance companies which offer temporary medical insurance and even some which will explain exactly what it is. Knowing just what short term medical insurance is and, more importantly, what it is not will help you in shopping for the best plan and keep you from getting scammed.

First of all, every state has its own brand of short term health insurance plan to assist you in holding onto the health insurance from your previous employer. In Minnesota the plan is called a Cobra Plan and covers you until you get a new job. By the way, state law also requires an employer to notify you of your eligibility for Cobra coverage.

Commercial short term medical insurance plans usually last for from one to twelve months, though a lot of providers restrict their plans to six months, and will offer most of the benefits which are provided on their long term policies. The greatest difference that you will see is that the plan is non-renewable and if you wish to hang on to your coverage you will need to arrange a further new plan. Keep in mind however that this sort of plan is only intended for short term use and not for long term use.

Some things that will most likely not be covered are preventative care and wellness checks and temporary medical plans will also not usually cover dental or optical care. In addition, they are also frequently very strict when it comes to denying cover for pre existing conditions. You can usually get cover extended to your spouse and children. Finally, you will find that most plans will range in price from about $25 to $100 a month.

Bearing these things in mind, you can start to work your way through the results of your search and examine the lists of insurers to locate one which will meet your needs. In doing so you will find that many sites will let you get an online discount health insurance quote.

Yet another good place to turn for cover is to your own car or home insurance provider as it is likely that they will also have a medical insurance plan which you can get. And, if you are buying the plan through your own insurer, there might be an additional discount available to you for having more than one plan with them.

Finally, do not forget that your local phone book could also list a number of places for you to buy temporary health insurance coverage in your area.