Short-Term Health Insurance: Best Companies, Costs and Coverage (2026)

You only have to pay $50 when you go to the doctor for a wellness visit with an Everest plan. That's cheap for a short-term health plan, although it's important to remember that regular health insurance usually covers the full costs of these visits.

Everest also has limited coverage for mental healthcare and substance abuse disorders. Many short-term plans don't cover these at all.

But Everest won't pay for prescription drugs unless you take them in a doctor's office or hospital during a covered visit. That means you have to pay the full cost for any medications you need filled at a pharmacy. If you might need prescriptions, UnitedHealthcare is a better choice.

A big benefit of an Everest FlexTerm policy is that you can see any doctor and go to any hospital. You don't need to go to certain doctors to get care. That makes it easier to make appointments and get treatments. But it's usually a good idea to stay in the network if you can, because you'll probably pay less.

When you buy an Everest FlexTerm policy, you'll first choose your deductible amount from five options:

The lower your deductible, the higher your monthly rate. But with lower deductibles, you pay less toward your medical bills before your health insurance starts paying out.

After picking your deductible, you'll choose the percentage of your medical bills that you'll pay after you meet your deductible. This is called your coinsurance level. Everest FlexTerm plans have four coinsurance levels to choose from.

The first number is the percentage of your medical bills that the plan pays, and the second number is the percentage that you pay. So with a 70/30 plan, your plan pays 70% of your covered medical bills, after you reach your deductible, and you pay 30%. If you want a cheaper plan, choose 50/50 coinsurance, as long as you can afford to pay that much of your medical bills.

You will also choose how much you could pay in total medical bills per year. If you reach that point, called your out-of-pocket maximum, your plan will pay your bills in full until you hit the maximum payout.

Finally, you'll choose the maximum payout amount, between $250,000 and $1.5 million. This is the most your plan will pay for your medical bills. You're responsible for any medical costs beyond this amount.

Everest FlexTerm plans are available in 28 states:

Everest says on its website that short-term plans are coming to Montana and Pennsylvania soon, but the exact timing isn't mentioned. It's worth noting that the same "coming soon" notice was on the website at least going back to September 2025.

A plan with middle-of-the-road coverage costs an average of $158 per month, which is the cheapest of all the companies ValuePenguin analyzed.

Pivot sells eight different short-term plans. The variety of plans gives you the option to pick something that works for your situation.

Pivot sells plans with up to $1 million in total coverage and deductibles that range from $1,000 to $10,000. So within each plan, you can choose various options for deductibles and total coverage to help control your monthly rate.

You can get quotes online. The website also lets you filter plans by several different features, including the plan name, deductible, coverage limit and extra features. Depending on where you live and the plan you choose, you might be able to add coverage for things like birth control and prescription medications.

But with some plans, you may need to get approval before certain treatments. Prescriptions aren't usually covered on the SureCare, Economy, Choice, Core 1000 or Quantum PPO plans, and you have to specifically add prescription coverage to the Epic plan. And Pivot Health doesn't offer any plans with coverage limits of more than $1 million. If you need more coverage, you'll have to shop around.

Pivot Health sells short-term plans in 31 states:

That lets you pick an option that fits your medical needs and budget, but still have coverage for most medications.

The Value plan gives you the least coverage at the cheapest rates, on average. But even the Value plan has prescription drug coverage. For most low-cost generic medications, you'll pay a $25 copay. For more expensive or name-brand medications, you'll pay 30% of the total price.

The Plus Elite plan is the best option if you need more than one medication or your medications are expensive. For generic drugs, you'll pay a $25 copay. For more expensive medications, you have to reach your deductible first. After that, there's no charge for higher-end medications.

However, like nearly all short-term health insurance plans, UnitedHealthcare won't pay for medications you're already taking for a preexisting condition.

The prescription coverage is only designed for health issues that start during the time you have your short-term plan.

All the plans cover some types of preventive care. For example, your plan will cover a mammogram or prostate exam.

UnitedHealthcare short-term plans limit you to certain doctors and hospitals. But 1.7 million doctors and 7,000 hospitals and medical offices take UnitedHealthcare insurance, so you can likely find medical care in your area.

UnitedHealthcare lets you cancel your policy at any time for free. That makes UnitedHealthcare a good option if you're not sure how long you'll need short-term insurance. The plans are run by Golden Rule Insurance, which has a reputation for good customer service.

UnitedHealthcare sells short-term health insurance in 28 states:

If you already have health problems, Allstate Health could be a good option. The company has plans that let you get coverage even if you have serious health conditions, called "guaranteed-issue" plans. Keep in mind that the health conditions you have before your plan starts likely won't be covered.

Allstate Health, which used to be called National General, sells four types of short-term plans.

Allstate Health's guaranteed-issue plans are unusual for short-term coverage. That's because you can buy one of these plans even if you have serious health problems. Most other companies won't sell plans to people who have health problems. However, guaranteed-issue plans tend to be expensive.

Allstate's short-term plans require you to use certain doctors and hospitals to get the most out of your plan. Depending on the state, Allstate's short-term plans either use Aetna's network or Cigna's, and they're both fairly large. You can go outside the network, but your plan won't pay as much for your medical care.

Allstate Health's short-term plans are convenient if you already have home or car insurance with the company. But people who don't have health issues can find cheaper and better coverage elsewhere. Allstate's rates were the most expensive of any company that ValuePenguin surveyed.

Allstate Health sells short-term plans in 32 states: