Types of Health Insurance

Major Medical /
Health Insurance

Types of Travel Insurance

Trip Delay or
Cancellation Insurance

Travel Medical
Insurance

Products from Assurant Health
(formerly Fortis Health)

Underwritten by Time Insurance
(formerly Fortis Insurance)

Assurant Health - Time Insurance
110 years old.
Nothing but health insurance.
No insurance company
in the country sells more
temporary health insurance.

Personalized Short Term Health Insurance

Frequently Asked Questions about Short Term Medical Insurance

No one is immune from unexpected accidents. A customized short term medical insurance plan can protect you and your family from the high cost of health care resulting from illnesses or injuries that strike when you are not covered by permanent medical insurance policies. It's a smart way to feel safe.

What is short term medical insurance?
What are the factors that affect my premium?
Is there an age limit?
Can I go to any doctor or hospital?
Payment Options
How quickly can I get covered?
What if I don’t know exactly how long I will want to be covered?
What if I am overweight?

Do I need to get a doctor’s exam to get coverage?
What is a “deductible”?
What is copay?
What if I already have an illness?
Can I be turned down?
What if I don’t like the policy?
Can it be renewed?
Does coverage include prescription drugs?

What is short term medical insurance?
Short term medical insurance is medical expense coverage issued for a relatively short period of time. When you buy this type of policy, you can choose a period of coverage that may be as short as 30 days, or as long as 365* days (depending on state). Several deductible and coinsurance options are available, with the premium cost varying according to what features you choose. It typically covers the same things as conventional, “permanent” major medical insurance such as prescription drugs, hospitalization, emergency room, doctors’ services in hospital and in office etc. It does not cover dental care or optical care (except as it pertains to an accident or illness), normal pregnancy or childbirth, well childcare, sports injuries, or care received outside the USA.

What are the factors that affect my premium?

Each state approves the characteristics of the policies that can be offered to their residents. States can have differing rates, so one factor is your state of residence.
Another factor is your age.
A third factor is the maximum term you choose. In many states you have the option of selecting a term maximum of either six months or twelve months. You would pay more for the convenience of not needing to reapply if you pick a twelve-month instead of a six-month maximum term. Some states do not allow both six-month and twelve-month maximum term lengths to be offered.
A fourth factor is the actual length of time you choose to be insured.
A fifth factor is the kind of cost sharing you pick (this is called coinsurance). After the deductible is met, the more you are willing to share in paying for additional expenses, the lower the premium for your policy. An example is 80/20 (insurance company pays 80%, you pay 20%).
A sixth factor is the deductible you pick. The lower the deductible you choose, the higher the premium will be.
A seventh factor is “who is insured”. If it is just you, the policy is less expensive than if you need to include your spouse and/or children.
The final factor is the policy maximum you select. If you pick a higher maximum expense limit, your premiums will be higher.
That is a pretty long list so here is a summary: Your age and state are beyond your control but every other factor is governed by the choices you make to customize the coverage to your needs. If you decide to obtain a quote (see the button at the bottom of the page) you will be able to view the effect each of these decisions has on premiums.

Is there an age limit?
Yes, but it is easy to qualify. A person must be more than 30 days old and less than 64 years 11 months old at the time the policy is issued.

Can I go to any doctor or hospital?
Yes, you are not limited to specific doctors or hospitals.

Payment Options
With short term medical coverage, you choose the payment frequency and method that's best for your temporary need.

Single Payment
Ideal if you know the exact length of time interim health coverage is needed. The minimum number of days you can purchase is 30 and the maximum is 365* days.

Monthly Payment
Ideal if you are unsure how long you need short term health coverage. This "pay as you go" option lets you continue coverage for as long as needed (up to 365 days*) or stop payments and discontinue the plan whenever you want. You make an initial premium payment for 35 days and subsequent monthly payments for 30 days.

Credit Card and Check Payment Methods

Automatic credit card and bank account debit is available. If you select this method, each month your premium payments will be debited automatically from the account number you provided with your initial payment. Your account will be debited each month until you have reached a total of 6 or 12 months of coverage, depending on the policy you purchase*. If your temporary health insurance need ends prior to the 6th or 12th month, call 1-800-800-5453 and we will stop the automatic debit. (Please note: 7 days advance notice is required to ensure future debits are stopped.)

Payment by check is available. If you select this method you will receive coupons via the U.S. Postal Service for all subsequent payments. Each month, mail your check with the coupon to Assurant Health. Each coupon pays for an additional 30 days of temporary short term health coverage. Note: No lapse notices are sent

How quickly can I get covered by a short term medical policy?
Short term health insurance coverage can begin immediately! You can get coverage that takes effect as early as the day after you apply online. You may also designate a specific date as much as 30 days in the future.

What if I don’t know exactly how long I will want to be covered by my temporary medical insurance policy?
That is OK. Short term policies can be very flexible and allow you to specify length of coverage two ways.

If you do know exactly how long you want to be covered, you can specify it by number of days.

If you do not know how long you will want coverage, just pay for an initial period of 35 days and then pay for additional periods of 30 days each for as long as you want coverage to continue up to the maximum coverage period for the policy you select.

What if I am overweight?
Only men who weigh more than 300 pounds and women who weigh more than 250 pounds are excluded because of weight. Your height does not matter.

It only takes minutes to
apply for customized short term medical insurance online.
The quote is free and there's no obligation.

Do I need to get a doctor’s exam to get coverage?
No. You will not need to get an exam from a doctor or a paramedic. You won’t be asked to provide blood, urine, or saliva for analysis. You’ll just answer a few questions on the application page.

What is an insurance “deductible”?
That is the amount you pay for medical care before the insurance company begins to share the cost. You pay the deductible only once for the policy. In order to be able to offer lower cost policies, the insurance company seeks to avoid the cost of administering and paying for the first-dollar expenses of your care. The existence of the deductible feature lets the insurer charge less because it pays out less in claims and expenses of operation.

What is an insurance copay?
Copay is not the same as coinsurance (mentioned under What Are the Factors that Affect My Premium) and does not pertain at all to short-term medical insurance. But, here is what it is: if you had a permanent medical insurance policy which included a copay feature, you would pay a small amount for receiving delivery of medical service and the insurance company would pay the rest. For example, with permanent insurance you might choose to have a policy that provides for you to pay $25 to the doctor when you go there – the rest of the cost of the visit to be paid by the insurer. Leaving copay out of short-term policies is another way that the insurance company is able to offer lower premiums because it has avoided the smaller claims and the administrative expenses of dealing with them.

What if I already have an illness?
Illnesses that you have at the time you apply for coverage are part of what is called “pre-existing conditions”. Most such illnesses do not keep you from buying a policy but the coverage will leave out care for the pre-existing conditions. That is, you can buy insurance for all other accidents and illnesses but it will not cover the pre-existing conditions. Pre-existing conditions do not make your premiums higher.

Can I be turned down for short term medical insurance?
Most persons find that they are accepted for coverage. But, it is possible that you may be excluded. When you apply for coverage, you will be asked a few qualifying questions and will quickly and easily learn if you can buy insurance.

What if I don’t like the short term medical policy?
You will have ten days to examine the details of the policy that is sent to you. If you do not wish to keep it for any reason, you may send it back for a full refund of your premium. There is an application fee of $20, which is not refundable. If you request that a paper copy be mailed to you, there is a $10 administrative fee, which is not refundable. You may avoid the $10 administrative fee by having your policy sent to you electronically via the Internet. Simply put your request in writing and fax it to 414-299-6217 or mail it to:

Assurant Health
P.O. Box 3175
Milwaukee, WI 53201-3175

Can it be renewed?
In most states as long as you have had neither a significant change in health nor any claims against the policy while it was in force, you can reapply. It is called a rewrite and is not exactly renewal because you are applying for a new policy that will have a different policy number (and can have different characteristics if you wish). But a rewrite can offer continuous coverage because you can specify the beginning date of the next policy to match exactly the ending date of the one that is expiring. It is done this way to be able to have each policy actually be “short term”, i.e. limited in its term.

Does coverage include prescription drugs?
Yes; prescription drug costs are handled just like any other health care expense. Naturally, as with other expenses you need to meet your deductible and coinsurance requirements.

It only takes minutes to
apply for personalized short term medical insurance online.
The quote is free and there's no obligation.

* Short term health Insurance is not available all states. WaveHelp is presently set up to sell to residents of Missouri (MO), Illinois (IL), California (CA), Texas (TX), Pennsylvania (PA), Indiana (IN) and Florida (FL). The 12-month Short Term health insurance plan is not available in some states. We will alert you if your desired plan is not available in your state and this web site will only provide you with the ability to purchase plans available in your area.

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