Summer is here and we want you to enjoy every day of it, but that’s hard to do if you’re stuck in the emergency room or saddled with doctors’ bills. The bulk of emergency room visits do happen over the summer months thanks to Fourth of July fireworks, bug bites, and allergic reactions, and water-borne illnesses. If you’re currently without health insurance, you still have coverage options; a summertime illness doesn’t have to be the end of your fun!

Special enrollment periods
If you experience a qualifying life event like getting married, having a baby, or moving, you’re eligible for a special enrollment period. That means a 60-day window opens in which you can enroll in a major medical plan. Not anticipating any change this summer? Keep reading.

Short-term medical
If you’re free from pre-existing conditions, short-term insurance can be a temporary and immediate option to get you covered. But wait—didn’t the Affordable Care Act (ACA) get rid of pre-existing condition restrictions? For many major medical plans, yes. But under the law, short-term plans are still permitted to not cover costs related to pre-existing conditions and can also deny coverage altogether for these conditions.

Short-term medical plans also don’t provide the same level of coverage as major medical (and they don’t exclude you from potentially having to pay a tax penalty), but they can be less expensive than major medical premiums and do provide you with a level of coverage that can certainly be helpful if you find yourself needing a doctor or ER visit this summer.

Accident medical expense
Accident prone? No worries. If you have an accident medical expense (AME) plan, unexpected medical expenses are covered. These plans are super flexible: you select the level of coverage you’d like with tiers ranging from $2,500 to $10,000; you can choose any effective date, including immediate coverage (which begins midnight of the following day); and you can cancel at any time. AME is also simple—you’re covered up to the threshold you select with one deductible (in most cases $100).

Still have questions? Give us a call and we can help you determine if any of these options are right for you.