Information on Temporary Health Insurance Providers
Temporary health insurance providers are regular insurance companies who can give you a short term policy for you to use while you are in a transition period. Some insurers have been scaling down their practices of selling temporary health insurance policies, so you may have a bit of difficulty finding what you need. When you do find a provider, make sure you request a free quote. Most providers will be happy to provide this service as they want your business.
You should probably try to find two or three providers who do deal in temporary health insurance. This way you can compare the quotes and the plans they offer to find the best one. Even then your work is not over. You should check the background of the provider to make sure that you are dealing with a reputable company. Most companies will have a monthly payment plan, so a company that demands all of the policy premium up front would probably not be a good choice. You do have that option, but the option should be there for you to pay monthly. You also need to check to see if there have been any complaints against the company for failure to follow through with the terms of the policy.
You should check to see what the benefits are under the terms of the policy. Because temporary health insurance is designed for a short period of time, the benefits will be limited. They are more of a low cost safety net in the case of an accident or illness. Such an insurance policy covers surgery, hospital care, emergency services, diagnostic tests medication and follow up visits for anything unexpected which happens during the term of the policy. Any pre-existing medical conditions will not be included in the coverage. In fact you will probably be denied insurance if you already have a medical condition.
Providers for temporary health insurance are in the business to make a profit. Like you, they are hoping that they will never have to pay out any money during the term of your policy. Therefore, they will not accept anyone over 65 or any women who are pregnant. Even if you become pregnant during the term and have problems, temporary health insurance does not cover maternity medical bills. Preventative care, such as routine check ups, immunization, dental and eye exams are not covered. If you have a regular health insurance policy, you cannot get a temporary health insurance plan. This constitutes fraud and the provider will check to make sure that you do not have other coverage.
Do not get the idea that the provider you choose will pay 100% of your medical bills. When you get the policy, you will also choose a deductible. The amount of premiums you pay will depend on the amount of this deductible. The higher the deductible, the lower your premiums will be. The deductible is the amount you have to pay toward the cost of medical bills before the policy comes into play. The lowest amount you can choose is $250. This keeps the provider from paying out small amounts of money. You have to pay the deductible for each occurrence- it is not a one-time thing.
After the amount of the deductible has been paid, the provider will still not pay all of the costs. Most providers pay 80% of the next $5000 in bills and after that they will pay 100% of the cost. Even with this amount of money, you will still save yourself thousands of dollars because you will not have to pay the full amount. Coverage also ceases when your policy expires even if you are still under doctor’s care. This is why providers will only give policies for 6 months so that they do not have to pay out large amounts of money.
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