We’ve written a lot about short-term health insurance over the years because it’s a perfect way to fill a gap in coverage if you’re moving, changing jobs, or related needs.
It’s also become a popular alternative to Obamacare.
The latter reason is why the federal government (specifically HHS) has issued new guidelines that mandate that short-term policies cannot exceed 90 days in length. While we see this as an unfortunate development, these are the rules that are currently in place.
HCC Leaves the Short-Term Health Insurance Market
One result that will have major implications for us is that HCC Tokio Marine, who has been our first choice for short-term health insurance for several years, has decided to cease offering short-term health insurance policies after May 31. Here are a couple of key points:
- Existing policies will remain in force and current contracts will be honored.
- You can still purchase short-term plans through HCC until May 31, even if the effective date of your policy is in June.
- HCC will still be very active in the travel insurance markets that are their primary focus.
Short-Term Health Insurance with National General Insurance
AC Forrest has relationships with several other insurance companies that offer short-term medical insurance, and we continue to believe that these plans fill a real need for people who need coverage but are not eligible for enrollment in traditional individual health insurance plans outside of Obamacare Open Enrollment.
After reviewing and comparing a number of options, we have decided to use National General as our primary recommendation for our clients needing short-term health insurance.
National General offers good coverage with a very large provider network and a number of different deductible options. They are also priced competitively relative to other plans with similar coverage.
One popular feature of HCC short-term plans was the $50 copay at urgent care centers, which National General also includes in their plan.
Click below to learn more and see prices: