Temporary medical insurance is a term which encompasses a variety of short-term medical plans available to consumers. People may be interested in purchasing one of these plans to bolster their current health insurance when traveling, or they may be purchasing such a plan because they need temporary major medical insurance. The cost of a short-term major medical plan is often comparable to or less than the cost of COBRA. Temporary medical insurance plans have a specific end date, unlike typical health insurance plans.
As with typical health insurance, temporary major medical insurance provides for coverage of medical, hospital and surgical and other delineated expenses for covered medical situations such as illness or injury. Temporary travel insurance provides medical benefits for travelers abroad whose medical care would not typically be covered by their current health insurance policy.
Consumers who purchase temporary travel insurance plans are often afforded the benefits of insurance company employees who will assist with any language issues and in some cases, evacuation or other necessary travel. People who purchase temporary major medical coverage are often in a situation where they may be in between jobs or periods where they are not covered by their employer’s health plan. Usually, during these transition times, the consumer does not wish to be left entirely uninsured. Such time periods can include people who have recently lost group health insurance benefits, consumers who are in the midst of an employer’s mandated waiting period for health insurance coverage or temporary workers. People who purchase temporary travel medical insurance generally are travelers who know that their health care plan in their home country will not cover medical care that may be needed abroad to the degree with which the consumer is comfortable and therefore choose to purchase a supplemental temporary medical insurance plan.
Temporary medical insurance is generally available on a monthly basis with time limits set for the contractual conclusion. Once the policy is up, a consumer may be eligible to reapply if desired. Temporary major medical insurance plans are available online, or through insurance agents. Online sites and agents will be able to provide insurance consumers with details of various policies, including coverage of particular medical needs, pre-existing conditions, prescriptions, choice of healthcare providers, hospitals and other facilities as well as any limitations that state regulations may put on such a policy. Additional considerations for consumers to take into account include lifetime maximum of various policy plans’ coverage, any needs for preauthorization for services, the insurance needs of other family members and the age of the insured.
Rate structure information for various plans is available through brokers’ or providers’ web sites or authorized insurance agents. Rates are generally affordable for travelers and comparable to or less than the cost of COBRA for those consumers who are interested in purchasing a temporary major medical insurance plan. Temporary insurance policies can be a convenient, inexpensive and effective way to provide a consumer with short-term coverage needs. All policies, and the coverage under them, vary so consumers are well-advised to shop around either online or with a trusted agent.
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