Do I need both health insurance and supplemental insurance? What’s the difference?
Health insurance will help pay for your routine and emergency medical expenses. You may think it covers everything, but you could be in for a shock when you receive your bill. Between deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and premiums, these costs add up quickly, especially for people without supplemental insurance plans.
What is supplemental insurance, and how does it differ from regular health insurance? Do you need both options? We’ll explore the differences and talk about the uses for each.
What Health Insurance Covers
Health insurance will help you pay for your medical and health expenses. Depending on the plan you pick out, it can cover all or a set percentage of costs associated with emergency care, routine checkups, chronic illness treatments, surgeries, urgent care visits, and more. You may get it through your employer, or you can get it on your own through the health insurance marketplace. Plans vary, so the specifics of what your plan covers will be determined by your provider.
What Supplemental Insurance Covers
On the other hand, supplemental insurance can help fill the gaps in your regular coverage. For example, maybe your current health insurance plan doesn’t offer dental or vision benefits. You can find a supplemental insurance policy that has coverage for these key items. Depending on the plan you choose, it can help close the gap between your yearly out-of-pocket expenses and what you’ll get coverage for with your regular health insurance.
Also, unlike a lot of health insurance plans, supplemental insurance can help pay for expenses that aren’t directly tied to medical care. They can pay benefits directly to you for everyday expenses. For example, if you have an accident and you’re out of work, your supplemental insurance can cover non-medical expenses like transportation and lodging until you’re back to work.
Do I Need Both Supplemental and Health Insurance?
Supplemental insurance will help fill in the gaps between your expenses for medical care and what your health insurance pays. This is why a lot of people have supplemental insurance in tandem with regular health insurance. It can help to:
- Pay for any gaps in coverage for your regular health insurance
- Offset any out-of-pocket expenses you may have
- Allows you to use the money for treatments or items your health insurance doesn’t cover
- Pays tax-free directly to you.
Explore Your Coverage Options
If you’re considering adding a supplemental policy to your current health insurance coverage, our United Benefits Specialists can help. We’re happy to walk you through your coverage options and find the plan that works for your needs.