Monday, March 2, 2009

Short Term Medical Insurance: Who Should Opt For It?

By Chimezirim Odimba

Short-term medical insurance is far less expensive when matched up against a typical health insurance plan. If you are fairly young, and in good physical condition, you may want to consider getting short-term health insurance as opposed to a more extensive health insurance plan.

Many short-term health insurance plans offer low monthly payments that are much more comfortable than the high costs involved with a standard plan. Short-term health insurance plans don't cover the extended benefits that typical plans often provide.

Full fees for all non-emergency doctor's visits and optional surgical procedures must be paid, instead of having visits fully or partially covered by your health care network. Short-term health insurance does not cover prescription drugs and ob-gyn visits.

Though you may be eligible for coverage from other sources, short term health insurance does not pay for maternity and delivery costs. If you encounter a serious medical emergency, your short-term health insurance provider will compensate you up to a certain amount after you have paid the deductible.

Your monthly premium will be lower if your deductible is higher. Most short-term health insurance plans have a cap of six months or one year. After the year period, you can still get coverage from another provider. You ought to be able to get a complete list of providers on web sites that evaluate health insurance plans. Short-term health insurance is not an option for many people.

If you have medical problems, and need to regularly purchase expensive prescription drugs, you should probably sign up with a standard health care provider who will help you cover these bills. Short term medical insurance is good for emergencies and for people that are looking for a cheap alternative while they are without coverage for a while.

The application process is simple and policies can be issued the next day. Credit cards are accepted by most companies. The most important thing to remember is that a short-term plan is not designed to cover pre-existing conditions.

These are usually including any condition you had during the three year period before coverage began. The "look-back" period for these conditions can vary by state. The insurance department in your area can inform you as to what laws pertain. Read the policy carefully before you buy because all short-term policies have very specific limitations and exclusions. - 15275

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