Most employer/group health insurance plans include a waiting period (sometimes called a probationary period) for new employees. Most often this is a 90-day waiting period before they can enroll in the health insurance plan. For some employees, this can be a problem as the cost of COBRA benefits is often very high. Surprisingly, many people are unaware of the fact that individual short-term health insurance plans exist and are designed specifically to bridge this kind of gap.
Short-term health plans are typically inexpensive and include very little underwriting (usually a handful of yes/no questions). While they can decline applicants (for example, someone who is pregnant, has cancer, etc.), the standards are much more lax than with permanent individual policies because of the limited lifespan of the policy. Pre-existing conditions are typically not covered, and the plans are typically catastrophic coverage only in that they don’t include doctor copays or drug cards. Patients do benefit from provider network discounts, and our preferred carrier does offer a $50 copay for an urgent care center (not an emergency room, think Doctors Care).
Essentially, these policies will help you have catastrophic protection from big-ticket problems at an inexpensive rate until you can get onto an employer plan. While we offer short-term health insurance plans from several different carriers, you can visit our preferred carrier here to learn more, get a quote, and apply online. Of course you’re welcome to contact us to learn more and discuss your specific situation.
