A growing alternative to ACA coverage
Short-Term Medical Insurance
As ACA premiums climb year over year, short-term medical has become a real alternative for people who are being priced out, and it is still a strong bridge between one plan and the next. I will show you what these plans cover, what they leave out, and whether one makes sense for you.
200+ carriers compared
$0 advisory cost
Licensed in 8 states
What your free plan review includes
- Short-term options available in your state, compared side by side
- The marketplace alternative, including any subsidy you qualify for
- Term length, deductible, coinsurance and benefit maximum in plain English
- An honest read on whether underwriting is likely to approve you
- No cost, no obligation, and no sales script
Direct line: (706) 564-2698
Based in Appling, GA, serving Georgia, South Carolina and six more states.
THE BASICS
What Short-Term Medical Insurance Is
Short-term medical, often shortened to STM, is a health plan you buy on your own. It is not an ACA marketplace plan, and it does not pretend to be. You apply, the carrier reviews your health history, and if you are approved you get coverage for a set term. That term is getting longer in many states, and for a household with no pre-existing conditions it is increasingly the cheaper way to stay covered, whether you are bridging a gap or replacing a premium that has outgrown your budget.
Not an ACA plan
Short-term medical is not required to follow the Affordable Care Act. It is a different product with different rules, and for the right applicant it can be the better value.
Medically underwritten
The carrier can ask about your health history and can turn you down or charge more based on what it finds. If you have an ongoing condition, an ACA plan is usually the better route, and I will tell you that plainly.
Term limits set by state
How long a plan can run depends on the carrier and on your state’s rules. The federal rules around these plans changed again in 2025, and terms that run up to three years on the same policy are available again in many states. I confirm the exact term available to you before you apply.
THE MARKET SHIFT
Why More People Are Comparing Short-Term Medical to ACA Plans
Marketplace premiums have climbed year after year, and short-term medical has moved from a stopgap to a serious alternative for households that can pass underwriting.
ACA premiums keep climbing
Marketplace rates have risen year after year, and more households are being priced out of coverage that used to fit their budget. When the math stops working, short-term medical is worth a real look.
Coverage that runs longer than a gap
The federal rules around these plans changed again in 2025, and terms that run up to three years on the same policy are available again in many states. Others cap terms much shorter, so we confirm yours before you apply.
Subsidies decide the winner
A premium tax credit can still make an ACA plan the cheaper option, sometimes by a lot. If your household does not qualify for one, the short-term plan often wins on price. I price both before recommending anything.
WHO IT IS FOR
Who Short-Term Medical Coverage Fits
Short-term coverage fits people in transition, including anyone who missed open enrollment and does not qualify for a special enrollment period. It also increasingly fits healthy households who are being priced out of marketplace coverage. If two or three of these describe your situation, it is worth a conversation.
Between jobs or waiting on benefits
You left one employer and the next set of benefits has not started yet, or you are inside a 30 to 90 day waiting period before group coverage begins.
Self-employed and 1099 contractors
You buy your own coverage and need something in place while you sort out a longer-term plan.
Early retirees
You are not yet 65 and not ready to pay full ACA premiums.
Students, graduates and child-only coverage
You aged off a parent’s plan, need something between school and a first job, or need coverage for a child where the carrier and your state allow it.
Priced out of rising ACA premiums
Marketplace premiums keep climbing, and anyone without pre-existing conditions who needs less day-to-day care may save real money on a short-term plan instead, often for longer than a single gap.
Not sure if a short-term plan fits?
That is exactly what the free plan review settles. Tell me when your gap starts and what you need covered, and I will show you both sides.
COVERED BENEFITS
What Short-Term Medical Plans Typically Cover
Plan designs vary by carrier, and this is the part I walk through line by line with you. As a general rule, short-term plans tend to include:
Doctor and office visits
- Doctor visits, including some plans with a copay for office visits
- Urgent care
- Preventive visits, when the plan includes them
Hospital and emergency care
- Hospital stays and inpatient care
- Emergency room care
- Lab work and X-rays
Prescriptions and add-ons
- Prescription drug coverage, often with a set list of covered medications
- Optional add-ons such as dental, vision or accident coverage on some products
- Deductible, coinsurance and benefit maximum that you choose at enrollment
READ THIS FIRST
What These Plans Typically Do Not Cover
This is the section most agents skip. I would rather you hear it from me now than find out at a hospital admissions desk.
The exclusions to ask about
- Pre-existing conditions. If you have been treated for a condition in the recent past, the plan may exclude it or decline your application outright.
- Maternity and newborn care. Most short-term plans do not include it.
- Mental health and substance use treatment, in many plans.
- Essential health benefits. Short-term plans are not required to cover the ten categories of care the ACA requires.
- Annual or lifetime dollar limits. A plan may cap what it will pay out.
- Premium tax credits. Subsidies are only available through the marketplace, never on a short-term plan.
- Guaranteed renewability. When your term ends, the carrier is not obligated to offer you another one.
One more thing worth knowing
Losing a short-term plan does not create a special enrollment period on HealthCare.gov. If you want the option to move to an ACA plan later, we need to time that carefully, and I will map it out with you before your term ends.
SIDE BY SIDE
Short-Term Medical vs. ACA Marketplace Plans
| What You Are Comparing | Short-Term Medical | ACA Marketplace |
|---|---|---|
| How you apply | Application plus health questions, and approval is not guaranteed | Open enrollment or a qualifying life event, no health questions |
| Monthly premium | Often lower, and often far lower for an applicant who passes underwriting | Higher, unless your household qualifies for a subsidy |
| Pre-existing conditions | Typically excluded, or grounds for denial | Covered |
| Essential health benefits | Not required to include them | Required to include them |
| Premium tax credits | Not available | Available if your household qualifies |
| Plan duration | Set by carrier and state rules, and now up to three years on the same policy in many states | Full plan year, renewable each year |
| Best fit | Healthy applicants with no pre-existing conditions, whether bridging a gap or replacing a rising ACA premium | Ongoing coverage, ongoing conditions, subsidy eligible households |
WHAT IT COSTS
What Short-Term Medical Insurance Costs
Short-term premiums are often lower than ACA-compliant plans, sometimes dramatically so, and there is a reason for that. The plan covers less, screens applicants, and can set limits on what it pays. What you pay depends on your age, where you live, the deductible and coinsurance you choose, the benefit maximum on the plan, and what the carrier decides after underwriting. We will look at your total exposure rather than the sticker price, and compare it against what an ACA plan would cost you after any subsidy you qualify for.
What drives your rate
Your age, where you live, the deductible and coinsurance you choose, the benefit maximum on the plan, and what the carrier decides after underwriting.
Why the premium is lower
The plan covers less, screens applicants, and can set limits on what it pays out. That is the trade you are making, and it is better made with your eyes open.
Do not shop on premium alone
A low monthly premium paired with a very high deductible is not a bargain if you end up in the hospital in month two. We will look at your total exposure instead.
THE PROCESS
How It Works
Four steps, and you are covered or you are told honestly that a short-term plan is not your answer.
STEP ONE
We talk for a few minutes
A short call or a few texts. What is changing, when your current coverage ends, who needs to be covered, and what you are paying now.
STEP TWO
I check both sides
Short-term options and marketplace plans with any subsidy you qualify for, priced side by side. You get the real numbers, not a teaser rate.
STEP THREE
You apply, I handle the details
Health questions, underwriting, the carrier’s follow-up calls. I stay on it until the card is in your hand.
STEP FOUR
We plan what comes next
Before your term ends, we map out your options so you are never left uncovered and never surprised by a renewal you cannot get.
WHY WORK WITH ME
Why Work With Jayme Marsh
Temporary coverage still deserves a real agent on the other end of the phone.
Local and accountable
I am based in Appling, Georgia and licensed in eight states. You get me, not a call center queue.
Multiple carriers
More than 200 carriers, so short-term and ACA options get compared side by side instead of one product being pushed.
Straight answers about limits
I will tell you what a short-term plan will not pay for before you enroll, not after a claim is denied.
Help that outlasts the policy
The coverage is temporary. The relationship is not. When your situation changes, I am still here.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions I hear most from Georgia and South Carolina households considering a short-term plan.
Is a short-term medical plan the same as an ACA plan?
No. Short-term medical plans are not required to follow the Affordable Care Act. They can ask about your health, exclude pre-existing conditions, leave out essential health benefits, and set limits on what they pay. An ACA marketplace plan must cover the ten essential health benefits, cannot turn you down for a pre-existing condition, and can only be purchased during open enrollment or after a qualifying life event.
Can I be turned down for a short-term medical plan?
Yes. Short-term plans are medically underwritten, which means the carrier reviews your health history and can decline your application, exclude a specific condition, or charge a higher rate. That is exactly why I ask about your health and medications before we go any further, so we do not waste your time on a plan that will not approve you.
Are short-term plans cheaper than ACA plans?
Usually the monthly premium is lower, and as ACA rates have climbed, more households without pre-existing conditions find the short-term plan wins on price outright. The two plans are still not buying the same thing: short-term plans cover less, screen applicants, and may cap what they pay out. Depending on your income and household size, an ACA plan with a premium tax credit can be the better value, and sometimes the cheaper one. That is why I price both sides before recommending anything.
How long can I keep a short-term medical plan?
The term is set by the carrier and by your state’s rules. The federal rules around these plans changed again in 2025, and coverage that runs far longer than a few months is available again in many states, in some cases up to three years on the same policy. Other states cap terms much shorter, so we confirm exactly what is available to you before you enroll.
Can I get a subsidy on a short-term plan?
No. Premium tax credits are only available on ACA marketplace plans purchased through HealthCare.gov or a state exchange. There is no subsidy for a short-term medical plan. If your household income would qualify for a credit, we need to look at that number before assuming a short-term plan is cheaper.
What happens if I get sick while I am on a short-term plan?
The plan pays for covered services, up to whatever limits and exclusions are written into it, and nothing more. A new diagnosis may fall outside the coverage, and the plan is not required to renew you when the term ends. That is the risk you are accepting. For a healthy person bridging a short gap, it can still be the right call, but we will go through your specific situation first.
Do I need short-term coverage if I am between jobs?
It depends on how long the gap is and what it is costing you. If your employer coverage ends and new benefits start in 30 to 90 days, a short-term plan can be a reasonable bridge. If the gap is longer, or you have ongoing medical needs, an ACA plan is usually the stronger choice, and losing job-based coverage does open a special enrollment period so you can enroll. It is also worth comparing both when you are not between jobs at all and your marketplace premium has simply grown past what you want to pay. We will compare both before you decide.
NEXT STEPS
Get a Free Plan Review
Tell me a little about your situation and I will price short-term and ACA options side by side, then tell you honestly which one fits. No cost, no obligation, and no pressure to enroll.
Based in Appling, Georgia, serving individuals, families, and small business owners in Georgia and South Carolina and six more states.