Buyer Beware!

If you're looking for cheaper health insurance, a whole host of new options will hit the market starting Tuesday.

But buyer beware!

If you get sick, the new plans – known as short-term, limited duration insurance — may not pay for the medical care you need.

In Virginia, for example, short term plans are available for less than $70 a month, with a $5,000 deductible. One policy, offered by Stamford, Conn.-based IHC Group on the web site eHealthInsurance.com, doesn't cover prescription drugs unless you're inpatient in a hospital, and it doesn't cover prenatal care, mental health care or annual physicals.

UnitedHealthCare says it plans to offer short-term plans in several states. The company's web site shows policies that range from one with a $12,500 annual deductible for less than $80 a month to one with a $1,000 deductible for about $250 a month. The policies don't cover prescription drugs and only pay about 60 percent of the cost of hospital visits after the deductible and co-payment. And patients may have to get a physical to qualify at all.

More:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/01/652141154/buyer-beware-new-cheaper-insurance-policies-may-have-big-coverage-gaps