Should losing HIPAA eligibility be a concern for me when considering short-term health insurance?

I recently graduated from college and am considering purchasing a short-term health insurance plan. I read that the drawback of purchasing a short-term plan is that it makes you ineliglble for HIPAA, which covers pre-existing medical conditions.

As far as I know, I don't have any pre-existing medical conditions. Does this mean that losing HIPAA eligibility is completely irrelevant for me and that I can safely purchase a short-term health insurance plan?

Or, is there a reason to preserve my HIPAA eligibility for the future? Am I ineligible for HIPAA forever, or just while I'm on the short-term health plan?

Thanks!

MB: To answer your question of what I'm talking about, I'll copy and paste one of the things I've read that prompted my question:


Will purchasing a short-term insurance plan make it harder for me to get coverage in the future for a pre-existing medical condition?

If you recently lost health insurance coverage through an employer, purchasing a short-term medical insurance plan will make you ineligible for any guaranteed issue, individual health insurance plans commonly referred to as HIPAA plans. Oftentimes, HIPAA plans are quite expensive but may be appropriate for those whose pre-existing conditions make it difficult to obtain health insurance in the private market. Therefore, if you wish to maintain your eligibility for HIPAA plans, you should not purchase a short-term health insurance plan. Please consult your benefits advisor to discuss your rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other rights under state law.

If you are in good health and have no pre-existing conditions you don't need to preserve your eligibility. In fact, the eligibility only lasts for 63 days. HIPAA guarantees you a policy but it doesn't guarantee a premium. A HIPAA policy can run anywhere from 10% to 400% more than a regular policy. It is intended for people with major or expensive health problems that would cause a company to decline you.

A short term policy is made for someone in your position. It will not cover minor charges but will cover catastrophic occurances. It will tie you over until you get your life settled.

What are you talking about? To my knowledge, HIPAA refers to the framework surrounding patient privilege and confidentiality rights. Just about anytime you switch plans you are going to go through the whole pre-existing medical condition thing. There are some circumstances where you will not but I haven't found them yet.

I don't know that HIPPA makes insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions. Your best bet for being covered with a pre-existing condition is to make sure you have continuous coverage of some sort with no gaps. Like COBRA coverage if you lose your job until you get a new job with its own coverage. But sometimes you just have to fall through the cracks, because that is all that is left sometimes to do.

For free or low cost medical/dental without insurance, call the health department and ask aobut free or low cost doctor clinics.

For free or low cost meds, try Montel's
http://www.pparx.org
or
http://www.copays.org