Temporary Health Insurance
What exactly is temporary health insurance and why would a person need it? Temporary health insurance is a policy which provides health insurance anywhere from 1-12 months. It is a good policy for a student who recently graduated from college and is now looking for his or her first job. It is common to be reviewed by the unemployed because of its affordable rates.
Retirees waiting for Medicare eligibility may be interested in it or even union workers on strike. An individual can be covered as soon as the next day for illnesses and accidents but not pre-existing conditions, prescriptions or maternity coverage. Some policies accept non US citizens currently residing in the US with proof of a residency card or a legitimate visa.
The exceptions to these rules are some insurance companies offer a 36 month temporary health insurance policy, one doesn’t even ask about pre-existing conditions while others are HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Availability Act) compliant plans. These carry a “certificate of continued coverage” that provides protection under this federal law. You can also research discount prescription plans such as Partnership for Prescription Assistance or Free Medicine. These two programs have helped millions of Americans with their prescription needs, many without health insurance.
Preexisting Conditions And
Temporary Health Insurance
We hit upon a serious matter in which to consider when deciding whether or not to sign up for temporary health insurance. This is the “pre-existing condition”. There are time requirements in order to have insurance coverage for the pre existing condition. These can be diabetes, carpel tunnel, or arthritis just to name a few.
What You Need To Do About
Temporary Health Insurance
You need to now obtain a certificate of continued coverage because you want to prove you had 18 months of continued insurance. This should be provided by you if eligible for COBRA no later than 44 days after qualifying for COBRA. Request the employer to provide this to you as soon as possible. Or you can get in touch with the plans administrator, their information is located in the brochure you received when you began your insurance policy. Regarding a dependent if the parent leaves the policy and they had identical coverage than one certificate is all you need to request but if the dependent is leaving the policy and the parent is remaining you then request the certificate of continuous coverage for the dependent.
The other way to prove 18 months of continuous insurance coverage is through your records. This can be your pay stubs, the policy itself and your physician’s records.
The reason this is crucial is because HIPAA only allows 63 days of broken coverage. Otherwise you forfeit your right to use past coverage towards the 12month exclusion on a pre-existing condition clause in your new health insurance policy. Ask anyone with diabetes or asthma how crucial this can be.
This is where a temporary health insurance plan could be crucial. Let’s say Jane, who is diagnosed with diabetes, gets laid off from a job she had for twelve years. Her COBRA premium is too expensive so she chooses to obtain a temporary health insurance policy 47 days after she was laid off. All the while, the clock is ticking giving Jane credit towards the twelve month exclusion on pre-existing conditions. HIPAA states the can only exclude her pre existing condition for twelve months so the time she is paying for temporary health insurance is giving her credit to be deducted once she begins a new health insurance policy, hopefully, offered by her next employer. This can be a crucial factor when deciding if temporary health insurance is worth looking into.
Compare Multiple Health
Insurance Policies Now!
Take a few minutes to compare health insurance policies right now using the free health insurance quote finder located at the top of the page.
