I need short term health insurance because I have temporarily been kicked off of Medicare. I had been paying my Medicare Part B premiums automatically on my credit card. My credit card was compromised, so I got a new card but forgot to add the automatic payment to the new card. I didn’t notice until after the 90 day grace period, and now Medicare won’t reinstate me until the next open enrollment period. I have been looking for a plan to cover catastrophic loss in the interim, but I’ve run into a brick wall at every turn.
There are independent insurance agencies that will look to multiple firms to get the right product for you. We’ve been with one for decades. Google those in your location.
Yes, and no. California has a whole slew of situations where you can purchase insurance under Covered California. Here is the list of Qualifying Life Events.
You can certainly buy insurance that will cover you until the end of the year or until you can get back on your original plan. However, each state will have their own rules. And while loss of Medicare creates its own special problems, it might be possible if working with the specific state’s requirements.
“Short Term” health insurance is a very specific type of policy that you can buy in some states. It does not have open enrollment, does not have preventive benefits, and usually has pre-exist clauses, may have a bunch of exclusions and benefit caps. I assume OP is asking about these policies rather than buying an regular ACA compliant policy on the local exchange at a Qualifying Life Event.
OP here. Agencies I’ve talked to say they don’t have any plans for those over 65 - presumably since you’re supposed to be on Medicare at that point. I just need something to cover me for 6 months in case I all of a sudden get something that would result in huge bills, like cancer treatment, I’m not too worried about a normal doctor’s office visit.
First, which state are you in ? Second , what do you mean by “short term” - are you looking for the specific type of policy mentioned by @LivingGhost371 which is not available in some states or do you simply mean that you only need the policy until you are eligible to re-enroll in Medicare? If it’s the latter, you might be able to get coverage through your state’s health insurance marketplace as losing Medicare may be a qualifying event. But you will probably have to go through the marketplace (whether the website or a phone number) rather than calling insurance agents.
That’s the issue. Due to your age, I don’t think that you can buy an Obamacare policy; my understanding is that those are only available to people under 65, or to those age 65+ who are not Medicare-eligible. I’m not even sure if companies that sell short-term coverage (if it’s even available in your state) will cover you.
