It is important to have health insurance available for your child no matter what his age or health condition. Insurance allows him to have easy access to quality health care while providing financial peace of mind to you. If your child is faced with a gap in insurance because you are in between jobs or your insurance was canceled, temporary health insurance may be a solution.
Significance
Health care can be very expensive. Doctor's visits, prescriptions and hospitalization are often too pricey for most parents to pay for out of pocket. Cover the Uninsured, a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, explains that over 7 million children in the U.S. are uninsured. A lack of adequate health care coverage -- even if only temporary -- can result in worsening health conditions, emotional and financial suffering and undiagnosed medical conditions.
Features
Obtaining temporary health insurance for your child assures he gets continuous medical coverage. The initial step is finding an insurance agent who can tailor a policy to your specific needs. She may also be able to combine your homeowners, auto and home insurance policies to give you a broad range of discounts. Benefits of temporary health insurance may include keeping your child's primary care physician, saving money by paying for a policy up front and choosing the coverage you need.
Considerations
If your child develops an illness while he is uninsured, it will be considered a pre-existing health condition. Some insurance companies will not provide a policy for children with a pre-existing illness, or they may omit certain drugs or services from being covered, explains Kids Health. Keep in mind that if you and your child do not qualify for Medicaid or state funded health care, the premium costs can be expensive. More affordable policies may have restrictions, such as only being able to see certain physicians and use certain hospitals.
Time Frame
Choose a policy that allows for coverage of the exact number of days or months your child needs services. Temporary health insurance may also be referred to as gap insurance -- this means its fills a gap in coverage until insurance is reinstated or renewed. If you have signed your child up for a state funded policy, you may have to disclose your assets and financial information on a monthly or semi-annual basis.
Types
There are several different types of temporary health insurance that you can choose. An individual policy is generally a commercial policy that you can tailor to your child's needs. You and your child may also qualify under a COBRA policy in which you can continue on with your employer's plan, but these policies are generally only for a limited time and often at a higher rate than if you were still working full-time. The Kaiser Family Foundation explains that state Medicaid programs, such as CHIP or the Children's Health Insurance Program, help insure low income children who have a lapse in health insurance coverage.
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