The day arrives that you lose your employment and, at the same time, you and perhaps your family also lose your medical insurance. Fortunately, short term medical insurance is one thing that can keep you going until you are able to [get|secure|find} a new position. A short term medical insurance policy will cover your health care needs from the time you lose your employment until you become eligible for benefits from your new employer.
But just where should you begin to look for a short term medical insurance policy? Just like a lot of people today, your initial stop will probably be one of the online search engines and these will produced a laundry list of directories. These directories each give you a list of insurance companies that offer short term medical insurance and even some that will explain precisely what it is. Knowing exactly what short term health insurance is and, just as importantly, what it is not will help you in shopping for the best policy and keep you from getting scammed.
Firstly, each state has its own brand of short term medical insurance policy to help you in holding onto the medical insurance from a previous employer. For example, in Minnesota it is known as a Cobra Plan and gives you cover until you get a new position. Incidentally, state law also requires an employer to notify you of your eligibility for Cobra coverage.
Commercial short term medical insurance policies normally last for from one to twelve months, though many insurers restrict their policies to six months, and will provide the majority of the same benefits that are offered on their long term plans. The greatest difference that you will see is that the plan is non-renewable and if you wish to keep your cover you will have to arrange a further new policy. Do not forget that this form of policy is only intended for short term use and not for long term use.
A few things that will perhaps not be covered are preventative care and wellness checks and short term medical plans will also not generally cover dental or optical care. They are also often very strict on denying cover for pre existing conditions. It is also generally possible to get cover extended to your your dependents. Lastly, you will find that the majority of policies will range in price from around $25 to $100 a month.
Bearing these things in mind, you can begin to work your way through your search results and examine the lists of insurers to locate one that will meet your needs.
Yet another very good place to look for cover is to your present home or car insurance provider as it is likely that they will also have a medical insurance policy that you can get. If you are buying the policy through your own insurance company, there may be an additional discount available for having more than one policy with them.
Your local phone book might also list several places from which you can purchase short term medical insurance cover in your area.
