Major short term medical insurance or temporary major medical insurance is a specialized insurance facility available for most people who are between permanent health insurance plans and have a temporary need for medical insurance. It provides flexible, inexpensive coverage for most injuries and illnesses. The covered benefits include expenses for doctors' services, surgery, out-patient and in-hospital care.

Major short term medical insurance plan is usually intended for those persons who are unemployed, waiting for group coverage to begin, a recent college graduate no longer qualified as a dependent under family coverage, and waiting for underwriting approval for an insurance plan. The plan is also an affordable alternative to COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) Insurance.

Major short-term medical insurance plan provides a person the freedom of selecting any doctor or hospital. Convenient payment options are other special features. The plan also not however, cover pre-existing conditions.

The important point to remember when considering this type of insurance plan is that the plan should not be used as an alternative for standard, long-term health insurance. Once the limited time frame of the insurance ends, the insured may or may not be able to purchase extra health insurance, depending on his health at that occasion.

Many insurance companies in the United States offer high quality, temporary health care plans for one to six months of coverage at a deductible rate. Premiums are based on a number of factors such as choice of deductible, number of people covered, length of coverage, age, sex, and where one lives.