Short Term Health Insurance by HealthInsuranceDirect.com

A short-term health insurance policy works like an “indemnity” plan, giving you the freedom to go to any doctor or specialist you like. However, most plans require that you obtain pre-certification from your insurer before you are hospitalized (except for emergency treatment). Without pre-certification, the plan may not reimburse you for hospital bills.

Surgery, hospital care, emergency services, diagnostic tests, prescription drugs, follow-up office visits and even limited mental health care could be included under a short-term health policy.

While many short-term policies are usually renewable for a total of 3 months, keep in mind that if you file a claim under your short-term policy your insurer will likely not renew the policy again. They might offer you another policy, but they will treat any injuries or illnesses that occurred during your previous short-term policy as a pre-existing condition.

Most reputable insurers offer a 30-day guarantee of satisfaction and will refund 100 percent of your premium within this time should you decide you don’t want the policy after all. In order to get your money back, you can’t have made claims under the policy.