Is short term health insurance the same as individual health insurance?

No, there are differences between short term insurance and permanent individual insurance, also known as major medical health insurance. Short term health insurance does not offer essential health benefits as required by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. However, you no longer are at risk for paying a tax penalty if you don’t carry ACA coverage. Short term health insurance is typically more affordable than major medical health insurance and allows individuals to see any doctor or hospital they choose without worrying about in-network vs. out-of-network physicians and facilities that are standard with individual health insurance plans. Some short term medical plans do have a PPO network, so it’s important to carefully review the benefit details of policies you are interested in to compare.