Individual & Family · Short-Term Medical
Bridge coverage — for a gap, not for a life.
Short-term medical does one job well: protecting you from a catastrophic bill during a temporary gap. It is not comprehensive health insurance, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling. Here’s the straight version.
The right use
When short-term actually makes sense
Between jobs
Employer coverage ended and the new plan hasn’t started — the classic gap.
Waiting for Medicare
Retired before 65 with a few months to bridge until Medicare begins.
Students & out-of-state
A marketplace plan whose network doesn’t travel to school with you.
Missed enrollment
Open Enrollment closed, no qualifying life event, and you need something now.
Check this first: losing coverage, moving, marriage, or a new baby opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period for a full Marketplace plan, often with subsidies. If you qualify, that beats short-term nearly every time. We check that before we quote you anything.
The trade-off
What you gain, and what you give up
What you gain
- Lower monthly premiums than comprehensive coverage
- Buy year-round — no enrollment window
- Coverage that can start as soon as the next day
- Protection against a major accident or illness bill
- Provider networks that keep in-network costs down
What it doesn’t cover
- Pre-existing conditions
- Maternity care
- Mental health & substance use treatment
- Full prescription drug benefits
- Preventive care at no cost
- The ten essential health benefits
Short-term plans are not ACA-compliant, are medically underwritten, and generally aren’t guaranteed renewable.
Worth knowing
The rules for these plans have been moving.
Federal limits on how long short-term coverage can run were tightened in 2024, then enforcement was paused pending new rulemaking — and states regulate on top of that, with some restricting or prohibiting these plans outright. The practical effect: what you can buy, and for how long, depends on your state and on the rules in force the day you apply.
We track it so you don’t have to. Ask us what applies to you today — that’s a free phone call, and it’s a better answer than anything printed on a website.
Fika makes it easy
We’ll talk you out of it if you don’t need it.
Short-term is a real tool for a real situation — and the wrong tool for plenty of others. We check your Special Enrollment eligibility first, tell you what your state allows, and only recommend a bridge plan when it genuinely beats the alternatives. No pressure, no spam, no commission-chasing.
FAQs
Straight answers
Honest answer: it depends on your state and on the federal rules in force the day you apply — and those rules have been moving. A 2024 federal rule sharply shortened short-term plans; enforcement of it has since been paused while new rulemaking is underway. Meanwhile states set their own limits, and several restrict short-term coverage heavily or don’t allow it at all.
Which is why we won’t print a number here that might be wrong next month. Call us and we’ll tell you exactly what’s available in your state today, and for how long.
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