Between jobs? Missed open enrollment? Waiting on a start date? Short-term medical exists for exactly these moments, and in some states it now runs long enough to be more than a stopgap.
The rules differ sharply by state. Arizona allows up to 36 months. Oregon caps the same product at 3 months including renewals. Same product, same carrier, completely different answer. Here is what these plans do, what they do not, and where the line falls in each state we serve.
What short-term plans are, and what they are not
Lower premiums, real limits. Both halves are true and you need both.
A short-term plan is private coverage sold outside the Marketplace. Premiums are usually well below an unsubsidized ACA plan, and coverage can start in a day or two rather than waiting for an enrollment window.
Here is the tradeoff, stated plainly. These are not ACA-compliant comprehensive plans, and that means five specific things:
If you have an ongoing condition, an ACA Marketplace plan is usually the better fit and we will tell you so. If you are healthy and bridging a gap, this is a real option rather than a last resort.
- You can be turned down. The insurer reviews your health history before it issues the policy.
- Pre-existing conditions are typically excluded, often for the first year.
- Maternity, mental health and prescriptions are often limited or missing.
- Many plans cap what they will pay, so check the benefit maximum, not just the premium.
- It is not minimum essential coverage, so ending one does not open a Special Enrollment Period.
How long a plan can run, state by state
Arizona and Alabama run long. Texas tracks the federal rule. Oregon is 3 months, full stop.
This is the question that changes the answer, and it is the one people get wrong. The same carrier selling the same product gives you a very different plan depending on which state you live in.
Maximum short-term duration in the states we serve
| State | How long it can run |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Up to 36 months total. DIFI confirmed in Bulletin 2025-12 that insurers are no longer held to the 2024 federal limit. |
| Alabama | No state duration rule, so it follows the federal posture. Terms commonly run up to 364 days, renewable toward 36 months. |
| Texas | No separate state cap, so it follows the federal posture like Alabama: terms commonly up to 364 days, renewable toward 36 months. Texas adds renewal protections the other three do not, below. |
| Oregon | 3 months maximum, including any renewal. The same insurer also cannot issue you a new short-term policy within 60 days of the old one expiring. |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
This area of regulation has changed twice in three years. We confirm the current rule before placing anything, and so should you.
The federal three-month limit from the 2024 rule is still technically on the books. What changed is enforcement: a tri-agency statement dated August 7, 2025 said the agencies would not prioritize enforcing it, and carriers resumed selling longer terms. That is why Alabama plans run to 364 days while the written federal rule says four months.
What Texas adds that the other three do not
In Texas a renewable plan cannot be repriced or declined because your health changed.
Texas defines these plans by reference to the federal rule, under Insurance Code chapter 1509, and then regulates how they are sold. Two of those selling rules are worth knowing because they are unusually good for the buyer. Under the state's administrative code, a short-term policy cannot be marketed as guaranteed renewable, which is an honesty requirement. But if a policy is sold as renewable, two things follow. The insurer cannot raise your rate or change your provisions at renewal based on your individual health. It also cannot refuse to renew you because your health changed.
That does not make it ACA coverage. The pre-existing exclusion still applies. But it does mean a renewable Texas plan behaves better through the term than people assume.
When a short-term plan makes sense
Healthy, bridging a defined gap, and clear-eyed about the exclusions.
This is the shape of a good fit. If two or three of these describe you, a short-term plan is worth pricing.
- You are between jobs and new employer coverage starts within a few months.
- You missed open enrollment, have no qualifying event, and need cover until the next window.
- You are self-employed or contracting and want something flexible while you sort out the year.
- You are above the subsidy cliff, so an ACA plan costs full price, and you are healthy.
- You need coverage fast. Approved plans can start within a day or two.
Before you buy: check whether you qualify for a Marketplace plan
Losing coverage opens a 60-day window. Price that door before you take this one.
Losing job-based coverage is a qualifying life event. It opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period on the Marketplace in all four states. That coverage cannot decline you or exclude a pre-existing condition. Depending on income, a premium tax credit may bring it closer to short-term pricing than you expect.
Check that door before you settle for a bridge. If the subsidy is small or you have no qualifying event, come back to this one. Our short-term and private plans page shows what we actually place, and estimating your income correctly is what decides which door is cheaper.
Rounding out a gap: dental and vision
Dental and vision are sold separately and are not tied to open enrollment.
Dental and vision are sold separately from medical in the individual market, and standalone plans are inexpensive. They are also not tied to open enrollment, so you can add them any time. If you are bridging a gap, or you bought a Marketplace plan without dental, adding a standalone policy is usually a quick fix. Whether it is worth it is a real question, and we walk the math in our dental guide.