To find the best short-term health insurance company, we collected quotes from short-term health plans and dug into short-term plan coverage information, including coverage maximums, deductibles and coinsurance. These factors can vary significantly depending on the plan. We analyzed all these data points to find what could be the right prescription for you if you’re shopping for short-term health insurance.
Summary: Best Short-Term Health Insurance Companies
Premiums reflect the average for a 30-year-old woman who is a nonsmoker for the three lowest quotes in these cities: Orlando, Florida, Phoenix and El Paso, Texas.
The Best Short-Term Health Insurance Companies
UnitedHealthcare
Pivot Health
Everest
How Much Does Short-Term Health Insurance Cost?
The average cost for short-term health insurance is $151 a month, according to our analysis of nine short-term policies.
We found costs as low as about $100 a month for barebones coverage to over $200 a month for coverage with prescription drug coverage. Short-term health insurers may promote coverage for under $100 a month, but you want to carefully read the print to understand what is and isn’t covered by cheaper short-term plans.
What you’re charged for short-term health insurance can vary by:
- Your age, gender and health
- Tobacco use
- Where you live
- Coverage maximum
- How many people are covered by your plan
- Out-of-pocket costs, including coinsurance and deductible
Average Monthly Short-Term Health Insurance Costs by Plan
Source: Forbes Advisor research. Rates reflect the average for a 30-year-old woman who is a nonsmoker for the three lowest quotes in these cities: Orlando, Florida, Phoenix and El Paso, Texas.
What Is Short-Term Health Insurance?
Short-term health insurance offers limited coverage for up to three months in most states, with the chance to extend the plan for another month for a total of four months in a 12-month period. The federal government reduced the previous length of one year with an option of up to three years in September 2024. Some states don’t allow short-term plans or restrict the length of coverage.
Short-term health insurance plans aren’t regulated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), so you can be denied based on pre-existing conditions. And these plans don’t have to cover the minimum “essential health benefits” mandated by the law.
ACA benefits that are standard in regular health insurance include inpatient and outpatient care, mental health services, prescription drug coverage and maternity care. Since short-term plans don’t have to offer this coverage you may have trouble finding a short-term health plan that does.
Short-term health insurance plans also generally have caps on how much the insurer will pay for certain services or in total.
What Does Short-Term Health Insurance Cover?
Short-term health insurance plans don’t have to follow ACA rules, which means there can be a significant difference between what one policy covers compared to another.
Short-term health insurance plans may cover:
- Doctor visits
- Emergency care
- Preventive care
- Urgent care
What Does Short-Term Health Insurance Not Cover?
Each company decides what it covers. Make sure to check the policy for lists of exclusions. Examples of typical exclusions are:
- Maternity
- Mental health
- Prescriptions. A short-term plan may offer a discount card so you can get cheaper drugs but the plan doesn’t actually help pay for them
- Substance abuse
Short-Term Health Insurance Laws by State
The federal government now allows short-term health coverage for three months with the option to increase coverage for one more month in a 12-month period, but some states ban short-term coverage or limit coverage to three months max.
Are you sure you want to rest your choices?
