Summertime is here and college students are heading home for a much needed break, but what about health insurance?  Although many colleges and universities offer student health insurance plans, most of those plans are only good for the school year, leaving students with a three month gap in coverage.  Because of the rules of the Affordable Care Act, these students cannot simply apply for another health plan outside of Open Enrollment, so what is available to them?  The answer is temporary health insurance.

A temporary health plan can fill gaps in coverage and also offers students the ability to enroll in health insurance when they need it.  In fact, these plans can be in effect as soon as the very next day and are typically very affordable. In addition, you can select temporary coverage anywhere from 1 to 11 months and you can choose to make one lump sum payment or pay monthly, whichever works best.  Short term plans ensure that students have the coverage they need over summer months when they are working part-time jobs that usually don’t provide health insurance and when students are more active than ever. (more…)

Although temporary health insurance plans are not ACA approved Qualified Health Plans, they do provide a temporary solution that can help fill gaps in coverage that may exist for many reasons.  If you missed Open Enrollment and now find yourself uncovered for 2016, a short term plan could be the solution.  Temporary health plans are a viable option for people who are experiencing gaps in coverage due to a job change, a move or other life circumstances.  They are also great for individuals who may be exempt from the individual mandate (tax penalty) to buy health insurance or those who may just choose to buy health insurance outside of Open Enrollment. (more…)

In the fall of 2010, The University of North Carolina system mandated insurance coverage for students at all of its 16 institutions throughout the state.  In fact, over the last few years, more and more higher education institutions have joined the insurance bandwagon as they realize the benefits of knowing their students are covered in case of accident or illness.   By 2015, most colleges and universities now require a proof of insurance before students can begin taking classes… which can present an interesting problem. (more…)