Do You Need Temporary Health Insurance Between Jobs?

If you are between jobs you may be looking for temporary health insurance. You can find several companies that have temporary insurance in your area, by doing an online search. Just type in temporary insurance and you will likely get a map where you can select your state or region. You will get a list of the available carriers in your area. Not all insurance carriers have temporary health insurance. Compare the coverage options available, as well as the premiums. Many people find that the premiums are fairly affordable.

You can do a comparison of the different plans to see which one best fits your needs. A temporary policy will cover most of the things that are covered with a regular major medical plan, with some extra restrictions. No pre-existing conditions will be covered on a temporary policy. If you have a pre-exisiting condition you need to let the company know upfront. If you don't let them know about it, you may have problems if you need to make a claim. Temporary insurance will only cover accidents and conditions that develop during your coverage period.

Temporary health insurance plans will not cover maternity care even if you get pregnant after the policy is in force. Maternity coverage usually requires a special rider on individual or family plans. Temporary plans do not allow riders for pregnancy. Most temporary plans are for 6 months up to one year. Many people think that it is cheaper to get one temporary policy and then another one after that one is over. This is typically not a good idea. It is better to get a long term individual or family plan than to continue with temporary health insurance. Your benefits will be much better on the long term policy over the life of the plan. A temporary health insurance plan should only be used for a short period of time.