Temporary circumstances don’t need to leave you or your family uninsured. With short term health insurance, you will be protected if a medical emergency strikes. Cheap short term health insurance is similar to standard health insurance, except that temporary health insurance can last anywhere from thirty days to one year. A short term health insurance plan may be for you if there is a short gap in your insurance. For example, if you lost your job and have begun searching for new employment with health insurance benefits, affordable temporary health insurance can help bridge the gap. Short term health insurance coverage is also suitable for people who are recent college graduates or on strike. With affordable short-term health insurance, you have time to compare and contrast individual health plans and make it through the waiting period without feeling desperate.
Short term health insurance tends to often be limited indemnity health insurance plans that consist of solely catastrophic health coverage. Therefore, the majority of short term health insurance plans do not cover doctor visits, prescription medications, or other preventative care. Temporary health insurance deductibles are generally higher. As a result, affordable short term health insurance monthly premiums can be as little as $25. The most popular short term health insurance plans tend to last for six months or less, and most temporary health insurance policies are non-renewable. In order to extend your temporary health insurance coverage, you need to reapply.
Underwriting standards for affordable temporary health insurance are normally stricter than normal individual or family plans. If you have a pre-existing condition, you may not be able to buy a short term health insurance plan at all. In this case, an individual policy may be a better value than short term health insurance if you can afford to wait a little while before your coverage takes effect. Most individual plans allow you to cancel coverage at any time.
Short term health insurance plans are ideal when you need medical coverage for a short, yet defined period of time and need it immediately. This is because temporary health insurance is normally paid for in advance. Such plans offer less comprehensive benefits than most standard individual plans, but HPA short term health insurance plans also offer policyholders greater flexibility when choosing providers. VitalOne Health can help you decide whether short term health insurance fits your needs. We have licensed health insurance agents who are able to provide you with a short term health insurance quote, in addition to guidance in selecting temporary health insurance.
Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO)
A HMO is the easiest way to buy cheap short term health insurance. However, you have to give up some flexibility with HMOs. In order to receive discounted medical services, you must use the facilities and physicians included in the HMO health insurance plan’s network; if you use a provider that isn’t in their network, you’ll have to pay full price. Also, you will generally have to see your primary care physician for non-emergency referrals to a specialist. The size of HMO networks varies.
VitalOne Health can help you when buying affordable short term health insurance by comparing the coverage and rates of various short term HMO plans.
Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO Plan)
PPO short term health insurance plans are similar to HMOs. A PPO plan covers a network of healthcare providers. If you go outside the network of your PPO temporary health insurance coverage, you will be reimbursed at a lower rate; the balance comes out of your pocket. The main difference between the two types of short term health insurance is that with a preferred provider organization, you are allowed to see any physician you want. You are not required to select a primary care physician or get referred to a specialist with this kind of short term health insurance. In general, co-payments are higher than those of other managed care short term health insurance plans. Some PPO plans also make you pay a deductible. Nevertheless, PPOs can be a great way to get affordable temporary health insurance that allows you greater freedom of choice.
At VitalOne Health, we can provide you with a short term health insurance quote from several providers.
Point of Service Plans (POS)
A point of service plan combines aspects of a HMO and a PPO. First, you must select a primary care physician from their network, like HMO short term health insurance plans. Your primary care physician can then give you referrals to any specialist, whether or not they are inside the network. POS plans, like PPOs, allow you the freedom to see any medical provider you want. However, going outside the network will cost you more out-of-pocket. In addition, receiving out-of-network health care makes you responsible for keeping track of and submitting paperwork to get reimbursed by your personal health insurance at the lower rate. Point of service plans are usually cheaper than PPO plans, since you lose some control of your health care.
In some ways, POS plans give you the best of both worlds when it comes to temporary health insurance. Wondering if a POS short term health insurance plan is right for you? VitalOne Health has an short term health insurance quote for most POS providers. They can help you decide which individual health insurance plan is appropriate.
Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
Health savings accounts can be combined with affordable temporary health insurance. HSA plans transfer more of the control and responsibility for your short term health insurance plan to you, as opposed to managed care plans. HSA plans are funded with pre-tax dollars, which can then be used for qualified medical expenses. Many of these expenses, including doctor visits, prescription and over-the-counter medications, and other preventative care services, are not covered under most cheap short term health insurance plans. Instead of paying for these expenses out-of-pocket with your taxable income, you can save money when buying these health care services through a HSA.
HSAs are typically partnered with a high deductible short term health insurance plan. These are the most common temporary health insurance plans; premiums are lower because the deductibles can cost several thousand dollars per year. Tax-exempt health savings accounts are meant to cover non-catastrophic health issues. HSA short term health insurance coverage provides the greatest savings to healthy and young people who are between individual insurance plans. Ask VitalOne Health to help you select the ideal health savings account and high-deductible short term health insurance plan for your needs.
Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance
If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you may think short term health insurance is out of reach. Guaranteed issue short term health insurance plans may be right for you. This type of insurance is required to cover anyone who applies, no matter what their health status is. People with cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, or currently pregnant are among those who can benefit from buying temporary health insurance with pre-existing conditions. Premiums are typically more expensive, since for-profit short term health insurance providers do not want to cover someone who is already sick. However, VitalOne Health can still help you find affordable short term health insurance.
Guaranteed issue short term health insurance plans are rare, but are available nationwide. You can use the large PPO network from Multiplan, and save money when you use health care providers at lower rates within the network. Get a guaranteed issue short term health insurance quote and compare plans with us today.
Life Insurance
Life insurance allows you to care for your family after you’re gone. It pays out a specified lump sum upon an individual’s death. The main types of life insurance are term life, whole life, variable life, and universal life. Term life insurance is the most affordable; it includes coverage for a set time period, usually anywhere from one to 30 years. Face value amounts for term life insurance policies begin at $5,000 and can reach millions of dollars.
How much life insurance do you need? Several factors should be taken into consideration. A life insurance policy should cover at least several years of your annual income. Higher incomes mean greater impact on your loved ones’ financial well-being after they stop coming in. If you have many outstanding debts, including mortgages or loans, you may also want to take those into account when deciding on the amount of your life insurance policy. It is also important that the monthly premiums for your life insurance policy are affordable. VitalOne Health is there for you during this complex process. Our licensed insurance brokers can help you select the right life insurance plan for your needs.
Critical Illness Insurance
Critical illness insurance pays you a lump sum if you experience a major medical condition covered in the policy. Diseases, surgeries, and injuries included in typical critical illness insurance policies range from cancer (whether or not it has spread), heart attacks, organ transplants and strokes to severe burns, paraplegia, blindness, or deafness. There are times when short term health insurance doesn’t pay for entire cost of treating a critical illness. For example, patients are sometimes transported to distant hospitals that are centers of excellence for certain specialties. The payout you receive from critical temporary health insurance could pay for your family and friends to stay with you during your hospitalization. The money can also be used for mortgage payments, or anything else that would help reduce financial stress and allow you to focus on recovering.
Several conditions can be bundled together in one short term critical illness insurance policy. A certain percentage of the coverage can be paid out upon initial diagnosis, while more can be paid in the case of a recurrence or developing another condition. The younger you are, the more affordable critical illness insurance is. You also need to be careful to know what conditions are excluded, and how long the waiting period before receiving payment is. Just as when you get a life insurance policy, the amount of coverage you buy should be based on your mortgage and credit card debts in addition to your annual income. VitalOne Health can help you decide which critical illness short term health insurance policy is right for you.
Accident Insurance
There are two main types of accident insurance: accidental death and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D). The former is similar to life insurance, except that it only covers a person’s death that directly results from an accident (such as a car crash) as opposed to health-related deaths. On the other hand, AD&D coverage also pays out upon serious injuries that are specified in the policy. Individual accident insurance is available in higher amounts for a lower cost than standard life insurance because there is a smaller chance that you will die or be severely injured from an accident; therefore, insurance companies can afford to pay several times what you would expect. However, you must be extremely careful when selecting a policy; they do not apply to any medical illnesses, drug overdoses, surgical errors that cause your death.
Accidental death insurance are meant to cover the higher cost resulting from a sudden death, including funeral expenses and emergency medical costs. Accidental death and dismemberment insurance normally pays out 50% of the policy upon losing one member (limb, hand, foot, or eyesight in one eye), with the full payout given upon an individual losing two members. The money will help pay for medical care and accommodations needed after the accident. Accident insurance can be purchased on its own, or as a rider added to any short term health insurance or life insurance policy. VitalOne Health can explain the benefits and limitations of accident insurance policies and help you decide if an accident insurance plan is best for you.
Short Term Health Insurance Tips & Advice
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