Availability of short-term health insurance in Louisiana

Yes. As of 2026, there were at least six insurers offering short-term health insurance in Louisiana.

Short-term health insurance in Louisiana is allowed to follow federal durational limits, as the state does not impose its own.

After the Trump administration announced in 2025 that it would no longer prioritize enforcement of a 2024 federal rule that had limited short-term health plans to no more than four months in duration, longer short-term policies became available in Louisiana.

As of early 2026, some insurers in Louisiana limit their short-term policies to no more than three or six months, but there are also policies that are renewable for up to a total of 36 months.

Short-term health insurance in Louisiana can be purchased by applicants who can meet the underwriting guidelines the insurers use.

Most short-term health plans can be purchased by people who are younger than 65 and who don’t have any of the short list of medical conditions that will result in a declined application.² But the specific requirements vary from one insurance company to another.

Short-term health insurance plans usually include blanket exclusions for pre-existing conditions, and they often use post-claims underwriting (meaning that they will go back through a person’s medical records after a claim is filed, to make sure it isn’t related to a pre-existing medical condition).³

Short-term health plans also generally exclude coverage for some of the ACA’s essential health benefits (most commonly, maternity care, prescription drugs, and mental health care),² and impose dollar limits on the coverage they do provide. It’s important to double-check all of the plan information before purchasing a short-term policy, to make sure that you understand the limitations of the plan.

If you need health insurance in Louisiana, you’ll first want to determine whether you’re eligible to enroll in an ACA-compliant major medical plan (Obamacare), and whether you’d qualify for a premium subsidy through the Louisiana health insurance Marketplace/exchange.

If you’re eligible for a subsidy, the monthly premiums for an ACA-compliant plan may be much less costly than you were expecting, and even more affordable than the premiums for short-term plans. During the open enrollment for 2026 coverage, 91% of the people who enrolled in coverage through the Louisiana Marketplace were eligible for premium subsidies. For those enrollees, the average after-subsidy premium was only $82/month.⁴

Excluding coverage for pre-existing conditions can make short-term policies appear more affordable than ACA-compliant policies. However, that upfront affordability can quickly be wiped out by out-of-pocket expenses (like deductibles and coinsurance) or any costs for a healthcare service for an uncovered condition, including any pre-existing medical condition. That said, there may be situations in which it makes sense to use a short-term plan, such as:

• If you missed open enrollment for ACA-compliant coverage and do not have a qualifying event that would trigger a special enrollment period.
• If you are newly employed and have a waiting period until you can be covered by your new employer’s health insurance plan; short-term insurance may provide a more affordable (but less comprehensive) stopgap than COBRA or an ACA-compliant plan.
• If you will soon be eligible for Medicare and don’t have any other coverage alternatives in the meantime.
• If you’re not eligible for Medicaid or a premium subsidy in the exchange, an ACA-compliant plan might be unaffordable.

Some examples of people who are ineligible for premium subsidies:

• Those who earn too much to qualify for subsidies. This includes anyone with a household income of more than 400% of the federal poverty level.
• People who cannot enroll in a plan through the exchange because they are not legally present in the United States. Lawfully present immigrants can enroll, and can qualify for premium subsidies. But undocumented immigrants cannot enroll in a plan through the exchange at all. (They can, however, enroll in ACA-compliant coverage outside the exchange, but there are no subsidies available outside the exchange.)