Short term insurance costs less than traditional major medical insurance plans. However short term insurance has limitations that need to be considered before purchasing. One major limitation is the fact that short term insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. Pre-existing condition is defined as any medical condition that was diagnosed or treated prior to the effective date of the short term insurance plan.

For example, if an individual has been taking high blood pressure medicine prior to taking out a short term insurance plan, the high blood pressure would be considered a pre-existing condition. In this case any treatment including medicine and doctor's office visits for high blood pressure would not be covered due to its status as a pre-existing condition. Any new condition would be covered under the new short term insurance plan. This is one reason that short term insurance costs less than traditional health plans.

Short term insurance is a good alternative to more expensive plans in many cases. Healthy students graduating could save money and maintain catastrophic medical coverage with a short term insurance plan during the time they try to find employment with health benefits. People between jobs may find short term insurance more affordable than COBRA benefits as well. Short term insurance also satisfies a need for people on a restrictive HMO who travel outside of the coverage area on vacation.

If you think that short term insurance might be a more affordable option for you or your family's needs, ask your local agent or go to sites like http://www.short-termhealthinsurance.com for information, quotes, and applications. Remember that short term insurance generally does not cover pre-existing conditions when considering this option. If that is not a concern for you, you could save a significant amount of money with short term insurance for your temporary medical benefit needs.