Short Term Health Insurance: Affordable Peace of Mind

Short-term health insurance is designed for those in-between periods of life: just graduated from college, just married, waiting for coverage to kick in through a new employer.  These are just a few situations where an affordable short term health insurance plan makes a lot of sense. 

Short-term health insurance plans can provide you with relatively inexpensive coverage for between 1 and 12 months.  But if you’d rather save a little money and run the risk of having no health coverage for a few months, consider this real-life example:

Since leaving college and being dropped from her parents’ health insurance plan, Renee had health coverage off and on.  Getting stared in the workforce she had a hard time finding employers that would offer her health benefits.  But being young and healthy, she was relatively unconcerned. She was able to get annual gynecological visits though the local Planned Parenthood office by paying on a sliding scale.   

When Renee married her boyfriend, Ian, she became eligible for his employer-sponsored health insurance plan. By this time she had realized that she was avoiding seeking regular medical care because she was uninsured, so becoming eligible for group coverage through Ian’s employer was a relief.   The employer had a 30-day waiting period before Renee’s coverage could start.  But it didn’t seem like a long time to wait, so she decided to chance it and go without any coverage for those few weeks. .

Two weeks later, Renee started to suffer from severe abdominal pains.  Being 27 and healthy, she tried to tough it out but the pain became too much to bear so she ended up in the local emergency room.   After numerous tests the diagnosis was clear: she had appendicitis.  The total cost for the ER visit, the tests and medication was $17,000.  Being married, she didn’t qualify for the state emergency plan.  And since her coverage through Ian’s employer hadn’t kicked in yet, she was left with the hefty $17,000 bill.

Though Renee’s story is exceptional, when you opt to go without health insurance coverage during one of life’s transitional periods, you’re running some serious financial and health risks.  Short-term health insurance plans are specially designed to cover people during times like this. . Thirty days, three months, even six months may not seem like a long time to be uninsured but serious injuries or illnesses can surprise you at any time, regardless of how healthy or careful you are.  Appendicitis, a skiing accident, pneumonia are just a few of the unforeseen medical problems that can send you to the ER and to the poorhouse. 

Next time you’re in a transitional period and think 30, 60 or 90 days isn’t too long to be uninsured, think about what Renee went through and look online for a low-cost short term plan to cover you in case of a catastrophe.  For free online quotes, visit www.ehealthinsurance.com today.