There are so many kinds of medical insurance policies and you have to understand all of them to be able to know which one works best for your situation. One type of medical insurance is the temporary medical insurance. As the name implies, this medical insurance is only temporary or short term. This means that this is not ideal if you are looking for long term or permanent benefits. If you want to get permanent benefits, you should apply for a standard medical insurance instead. You might ask, so why would people apply for a short term insurance? Of course, everybody wants long term benefits, so why would they waste their money paying for this type of insurance? The answer to this is simple. The short term policy buys time before you can get a permanent or long term insurance policy. For example, if you are unemployed and you are still looking for a job, it is important that you insure yourself before you find a job that will offer you a regular insurance policy. You do not want to stay uncovered even in that short time span. This insurance policy is also perfect for new graduates who are still looking for a job or for newly employed individuals. While you are searching or waiting for your employer to process your health insurance, you can apply for a short term policy for the meantime which only lasts for about a month up to half a year.