Does any company offer extremely short-term catastrophic health insurance? By “extremely short-term,” I mean 5 days. That’s how long a gap I have coming up in September. A 1-month policy that can be canceled with a pro-rata refund after 5 days would also do.
Quick Turnaround
Dear Quick Turnaround,
Health insurers do not generally sell coverage for less than 30 days, or give pro-rata refunds for partial months. It’s highly unusual that your previous plan is ending on a date other than the end of the month, and your new plan is starting on an odd date. You might want to double-check those dates.
Here’s a not-quite-above-board trick that you can use. You can apply for health insurance for September 1 and pay the premium for the month. Ask the insurance agent what the “free-look” period is. This varies by state, but it could be 10 to 30 days. Before the free-look period ends, you can withdraw from the plan and get a full refund. If something happens to you during the 5-days, you’ll be insured. If not, you will go through a bit of paperwork hassle but you won’t be any worse for wear.
On the other hand, I would just stay home and be careful.