Short-Term Health Insurance Provides Option for Consumers Waiting for Comprehensive Coverage to Begin, eHealth Survey Finds
eHealth's
"Short-term health insurance provides a good alternative form of coverage for many people during the 2013 gap year," said
Short-term health insurance products are designed to provide consumers with protections against unforeseen medical bills, typically for a period of between one and twelve months. Short-term plans are not major medical health insurance plans. They typically do not provide coverage for pre-existing medical conditions or preventive medical care, and may not provide coverage for prescription drugs. However, they are often easier to qualify for, tend to be relatively affordable, and often meet the temporary coverage needs of many consumers.
Results from the survey include the following:
Why consumers choose short-term plans over traditional health insurance plans:
- More than three quarters (79%) of policy holders identify affordability as one of the things they like most about short-term health insurance plans, despite the fact that fewer than three-in-ten (29%) feel short-term plans cover the benefits they value most.
- More than half of short-term policy holders (52%) chose short-term coverage over a traditional major medical health insurance plan because they expect to begin coverage under another health insurance plan within 1-12 months.
- Most policy holders (61%) at least considered purchasing a traditional major medical health insurance plan before purchasing short-term coverage; however, only two-in-ten (21%) actually applied for a traditional major medical plan before purchasing a short-term plan.
- More than one third (37%) say they chose short-term health insurance because they only wanted basic coverage in case of emergencies.
Short-term health insurance and the Affordable Care Act:
- Almost three quarters (73%) of short-term policy holders consider themselves not well informed about the Affordable Care Act; only one quarter (27%) consider themselves well informed about the health reform law.
- Two in ten (20%) short-term policy holders believe -- incorrectly -- that their short-term plans will meet the coverage requirement (the "individual mandate") of the Affordable Care Act in 2014.
- Nearly two thirds (64%) of policy holders do not know whether their short-term plans will meet the coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act in 2014.
Full results from the survey can be found at the eHealth Media Center.
Additional Consumer Resources:
- Follow eHealth's consumer blog, Get Smart -- Get Covered
- Browse our answers to real-life consumer health insurance questions on Yahoo Answers
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