Short Term Medical is a temporary health plan designed for people who are between permanent health plans. Coverage can be purchased for as few as 30 days or as many as 185 days (varies by state).

Short Term Medical does not cover pre-existing conditions. It is designed to protect against the unforeseen. If pre-existing conditions were covered under Short Term Medical policies, people could just wait until they were diagnosed with an illness or suffered an injury, buy a policy to cover the treatment, then drop it. The cost of such policies would be prohibitive. Because Short Term Medical is designed to cover the unexpected, it also does not include coverage for preventive care, physicals, immunizations, dental or eye care.

The definition of a pre-existing condition varies by state, but in general, Short Term Medical excludes conditions that have been diagnosed or treated within the previous 5 years. If you have an existing medical condition, you may want to see if extending your current insurance to fill a gap in coverage is an option. Employer-sponsored insurance can be extended under a government-regulated option called COBRA.