The Current Status of Short-Term Health Plans
Short-term health plans were used as a way to obtain health coverage if someone did not have a qualifying event or was outside the Open Enrollment Period. These plans offered benefits to their members for short periods of time (for example: 6 months) until they were able to get health coverage through other carriers in Connecticut during the Open Enrollment Period. Unfortunately, as of 2019, no insurance companies in the state of Connecticut are offering short-term health plans.
Connecticut has strict regulations for short-term health plans, mainly that the state now requires short-term plan to provide coverage for essential health benefits, which include coverage for things such as maternity, prescription drugs, mental health treatment, and rehabilitation. Not offering these essential health benefits were how short-term plans were able to keep costs down because, often times, short-term medical policies were cheaper than other health policies.
Travel Insurance
There are Travel Insurance options for people who are looking to travel outside the United States for a specified period of time. Travel Insurance policies usually only cover you for a limited period of time when traveling abroad. Some policies, if you intend on staying longer than your coverage period, might allow you to extend your insurance, up to a specified limit of time, and will most likely cost more if you choose to extend it. Although benefits vary by plan, Travel Insurance could help you cover expenses abroad such as:
- Emergency Room Visits
- Urgent Care Visits
- Emergency Dental
- Emergency Medical Evaluation
- Pet Protection
- Lost Checked Luggage
- Emergency Evacuation
Other benefits that might be included are life insurance or coverage for natural disasters. Wherever you are traveling to, Travel Insurance can be a very good option for those looking for extra benefits when they go abroad.
If you are interested in talking about travel insurance options, please call or email us and we would be happy to provide you with more information or plans that fit your travel needs!