Temporary health insurance, also known as short-term health insurance plans or short-term medical insurance, is an insurance policy valid only for a limited period of time. Health insurance is defined as a type of insurance plan whereby the insurer covers the medical expenses of the insured when he/she becomes sick due to covered causes, or due to accidents.

Temporary health insurance provides ideal protection for persons who are in-between jobs, employed part-time, waiting for permanent health insurance to commence, attending school or recently graduated, and temporarily without health insurance for any reason.

Temporary plans provide a person the freedom of selecting any doctor or hospital. They also have a deductible scheme for the individual as well as the family. A person under 65 years of age and children under 19 or 25 (if a full-time student) are eligible to apply for temporary health insurance. The insurer may be a government organization or a private agency. Normally, the temporary health insurance can be purchased for periods as short as 30 days or up to 360 days.

The important point to remember when considering this type of insurance plan is that the insurance should not be seen as an alternative for standard, long-term health insurance. The plan is only intended to provide treatment for unforeseen illness or injury. Temporary health insurance is also exempt from Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which means that the plan does not have any guarantees. Once the limited time frame of the insurance ends, the insured may or may not be able to purchase extra health insurance, depending on his health at that occasion.

Temporary health insurance plan is a good option for those to whom a full insurance plan is not available. There are also low-cost health insurance plans, which are affordable plans designed for healthy people who are temporarily without health insurance.