Short term insurance coverage is ideal for people who are in transition and acts as a stopgap arrangement for people on the lookout for an ideal long term insurance policy. The insurance coverage ranges from emergency medicine, prescription drugs, intensive care, lab and x-ray, ambulance and to some home and hospital care. Most short term health insurance policies are considered as "indemnity plans" (fee-for-service) that help a person in selecting any doctor or hospital he likes. Many of the short term health insurance policies are flexible and can extend coverage to spouse and dependents.

Due to its low cost, the short term health insurance coverage does not support dental or optical care, and preventative care like physical exams, immunizations and PAP tests. One of the important aspects to remember while taking a short term health insurance policy is that it does not cover any pre-existing medical conditions. Most short term health insurance coverage is only available to people under the age of 65.

A short term health insurance plan is the right health coverage for you, if you are in need of immediate coverage, between jobs, newly employed and waiting for your group coverage to begin, a temporary or seasonal employee, a recent college graduate, looking for an affordable alternative to COBRA, on strike, laid-off or a terminating employee, and unable to afford other coverage. In theses situations, short term health insurance coverage offers you and your family with much-needed protection.

Short term health insurance policies are normally non-renewable. For extending coverage, you have to re-apply. Although many insurance companies limit coverage to six months, the short term health insurance coverage is generally available for between one and twelve months. Short term health insurance is a very affordable policy. Owing to its low monthly cost and high coverage limits, people opting for short term health insurance policy have increased during the last few years.