What is Short-Term Health Insurance?

Short-term health insurance is a kind of temporary health insurance for when you are in between coverage, otherwise known as a coverage gap.2 This type of plan can help cover preventive care, emergency care, visits to the doctor, and other types of care costs. The coverage you can receive from short-term health insurance can vary based on the plan you have and the insurance company.

Short-Term Health Insurance

Short-term health insurance can come in handy if your primary health insurance lapses for a period of time. This type of health insurance is designed to help you navigate coverage gaps, and it’s important to understand how it works and when you may be eligible. Aflac can also support coverage gaps by offering a variety of supplemental insurance plans, which cover additional expenses your primary plan won’t cover.

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Key Takeaways

Short-term health insurance is a temporary policy that can bridge coverage gaps.
You may need short-term health insurance if you lose employer-sponsored insurance and aren’t qualified for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), missed an open enrollment period, or are waiting for your Medicare coverage to begin.¹
Aflac doesn't offer short-term health insurance, but we do offer a variety of supplemental insurance plans to help you navigate coverage gaps.

How short-term health insurance works

Short-term health insurance is a kind of temporary health insurance for when you are in between coverage, otherwise known as a coverage gap.² This type of plan can help cover:

Preventive care
Emergency care
Visits to the doctor

The coverage you can receive from short-term health insurance can vary based on the plan you have and the insurance company. Since the plans are temporary, they typically have high deductibles or co-pays and a firm coverage limit.¹ Essentially, you can expect to pay more out-of-pocket costs for short-term health insurance than a traditional plan.

Who should get short-term health insurance?

You may consider getting short-term health insurance if you:¹

Lost employer-sponsored insurance and do not qualify for the ACA.
Are waiting for open enrollment to apply for an ACA plan or waiting for ACA coverage to start.
Are waiting for Medicare coverage to begin.
Missed an open enrollment period for private insurance.
Are turning 26 and coming off your parent’s insurance but don’t have a permanent resolution yet.
Need quick proof of insurance for a special activity or trip.

How much does short-term health insurance cost?

Short-term health insurance costs are generally reasonable, but it depends on the company you choose to work with, and there may be less expensive alternatives. The average cost of short-term health insurance is $115 per month.³

Short-term health insurance vs. short-term disability insurance

While short-term health insurance and short-term disability insurance sound similar, there is one key difference. Aflac’s short-term disability insurance can be made available to you ahead of time by your employer to help protect you from an injury that could impact your ability to work. In contrast, short-term health insurance is purchased after you lose health insurance and need an intermittent plan.²

Aflac's short-term disability insurance is designed to help provide cash benefits when you are injured and put out of work. Cash benefits are paid to you to help balance out missed paychecks resulting from the injury. This type of temporary insurance plan is only available through your employer, so we recommend talking to your employer if short term disability coverage is not offered.

Short-term health insurance coverage isn’t offered at Aflac, but we do have other products that may better suit your needs, like accident, hospital and short-term disability policies. We recommend exploring all your options before choosing a policy.

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Pros and cons of short-term health insurance

Before considering short-term health insurance, you should understand the pros and cons:

Pros of short-term health insurance

You will have some insurance coverage to help you during a medical event when you’re in between coverage.
Some short-term health insurance plans may cover pre-existing conditions, but it depends on the specific company you choose.
You may be able to add certain wellness and preventative benefits to your short-term health insurance policy.

Cons of short-term health insurance

You may have to pay high fees out-of-pocket before any short-term benefits kick in.
There may be age restrictions for those who are eligible for temporary health coverage.
There may be other strict limitations, like not paying for prescriptions or covering sport-related injuries.³
Short-term health insurance plans are only allowed in a certain number of states.⁴

Explore your insurance options with Aflac

Aflac doesn’t offer short-term health insurance, but we do offer other supplemental insurance plans designed to help provide support in the ways you need it most. Policies like accident insurance, short-term disability insurance, and hospital insurance can help you navigate coverage gaps and provide support for expenses not covered by primary health insurance. To learn more about coverage options and get a quote, chat with an agent today.

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