If you do not have a health insurance policy because you are between jobs, there is an affordable option available that you may not be aware of — a temporary (or short term) health insurance policy.
Here in Arizona, United HealthCare, Assurant and IHC (a company endorsed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona) offer temporary plans, as do some other smaller companies. You can pay for the plan on a monthly basis, and you can keep the plan for up to six months (up to 12 months at some companies). The rates are quite a bit lower than the rates for full term health insurance policies, and there is no medical underwriting, so if you need a plan to go into effect right away, you could buy one today and have it go into effect at midnight tonight.
The reason there is no medical underwriting is because the short term plans do not pay anything for any pre-existing conditions. The insurance company doesn’t really care that you have irritable bowel syndrome because they won’t pay anything for it. In their application, most of the short term policy companies ask just one basic health question, and the question goes something like, “in the past five years, have you been treated for heart attack, cancer, stroke, diabetes, AIDS or are you pregnant?” If you say no, they will give you a policy.
Arizona short term health insurance policies are perfect for job seekers, recent college graduates, and even for people who know they should have some sort of health insurance, but can’t afford to pay the steep premiums for a full term plan — often, the monthly cost for a short term plan is half the cost of a full term plan. And the short term plans are not simply “catastrophic” policies — once you meet your chose deductible, some of the plans pay for prescriptions, doctor visits, xrays, etc. They all pay for illnesses and accidents.
Contact Lehrman Group at (800) 600-9663 and we can give you rates for an Arizona short term health insurance policy and even sign you up for a policy over the phone. Or you can compare the various plans on your own — here are the links for investigating the plans and rates:
IHC, endorsed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
