Home Paid Health Benefits Guide to Supplemental Health Insurance

Guide to Supplemental Health Insurance

Guide to Supplemental Health Insurance

Supplemental health insurance are additional benefits plans offered by health care providers to cover services and needs of beneficiaries not covered in their primary health insurance plan. This supplemental insurance can reduce the cost of medical care for the beneficiary and extend coverage to the family of a beneficiary. Many people with supplemental health insurance have it as a precaution in case of a potential need. 

The most common supplemental insurance plans purchased are Dental and Vision care. Dental care covers the cost of visits to dentists and orthodontists. While the insured must pay a small co-payment fee, the insurance company pays for the majority of services rendered. Vision care covers the costs of visits to optometrists and opthamologists.

This care is meant for eye examinations and, depending on the supplemental health plan purchased, Vision care may also cover the cost of glasses and contact lenses. Dental and Vision care are provided under supplemental health insurance plans because health insurance providers do not consider these services to fall under the umbrella of primary health care. 

Other supplemental insurance plans available can cover specific illnesses. A patient can purchase insurance to cover forms of cancer, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease among other ailments. Supplemental insurance can also be provided for being blind and/or deaf. This insurance can be used to pay for hospital stays, treatments, medical equipment or loss of income because of the medical condition.

Another form of supplemental insurance is hospital indemnity insurance. While the insured is receiving hospital care, this insurance can cover out-of-pocket expenses as well as other hospital or wrongful death insurancegroup insurance plans The Medicare program also offers a form of supplemental insurance to its beneficiaries.

Medicare Supplemental Coverage, or Medigap, is available to subscribers enrolled in both Part A and Part B of the Medicare program to be eligible. Medigap offers 12 plans which are provided by private insurance providers, not through government funding. Care and coverage received under Medigap is proportionate to the premium being paid by the beneficiary. Despite being offered by private insurance companies, Medigap regulations are standardized through the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

If the beneficiary already has Medicare coverage, Medigap supplemental health insurance plans may be bought, with no health inquiries made, under guaranteed issue policy.