You have probably heard of a supplemental health insurance plan in the past, right? This is health coverage that takes care of anything beyond the minimum medical coverage you need.
With a supplemental health plan, you are protected with additional medical coverages, or they can be used to help pay the costs that aren’t covered by your basic health insurance plan, such as your co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance. This all depends on the type of supplemental coverage you are looking for.
Examples of Supplemental Health Insurance Plan Options
Some of the supplemental health insurance plans you can purchase include:
- Medicaid or Medicare supplemental plans
- Dental insurance plans (find out more about dental insurance here)
- Short term health insurance
- Critical illness insurance
- Long-term care insurance
- Vision insurance plans
- Supplemental travel insurance (coverage for when you are out of your network)
- Disability insurance
Who Needs Supplemental Health Insurance?
If you already have health insurance coverage, you may wonder if supplemental insurance is necessary. That really depends on your risk factors, the amount of insurance you want, and what you want insurance for.
Remember, supplemental plans are completely optional. It’s completely up to you to determine if the benefits offered by a plan are worth the additional cost in the premiums you are going to pay. For example, if you are sure your child is going to need orthodontic treatment in the future, then purchasing insurance to cover this is a good idea.
Another example would be if you were sure that you couldn’t afford the costs that go along with long-term care, or the loss of your income if you are diagnosed with cancer. In this situation, critical illness or long-term care insurance may be a smart investment for you to think about.
Finding a Quality Supplemental Health Insurance Policy
Before investing in any supplemental health insurance policies, make sure that you fully understand the coverage that is offered by various health insurance providers and plans. For example, if you are married, make sure to find out what coverage you have through their plan and consider coordinating your benefits through your current plans. There’s no need to duplicate your coverage or to pay for more insurance than you actually need.
Each health insurance policy is unique and what they cover and the amount they payout will all be different, too. Make sure you check to see that you have a quality health insurance policy that will pay you the maximum amount of benefits possible for a price that fits in your budget.
The supplemental insurance you buy is going to kick in and help you cover what your main health insurance policy doesn’t pay, or it will cover additional expenses. A supplemental health plan, such as one for disability or critical illness can also provide protection by covering expenses if you couldn’t pay for something that occurred and if you couldn’t make any money to cover your bills.
Important Considerations When Choosing a Supplemental Health Insurance Policy
There are several things you need to consider when you are trying to figure out if you really need supplemental health insurance. Some of these things include how much you can afford, your savings, and your risk factors for certain health conditions.
Your savings are important to consider because they are going to impact if you should really invest in a supplemental insurance plan. For example, if you were in the hospital for several weeks (or longer) would there be enough money to cover your expenses? When you are trying to decide if you should purchase this policy, be sure to consider if you can really afford it.
Tips for Getting Supplemental Health Insurance
There are several ways you can purchase a supplemental health insurance plan. For example, you can purchase this from a private insurer, or you can check with your employer to find out if there are extended benefits that you may be able to access through your on-the-job coverage.
Take some time to consider all the factors here to help ensure that you achieve the desired results. By doing this, you can feel confident that you are getting the supplemental insurance coverage that you need and that the policy won’t break your budget – regardless of how high or low, that may be.
