Introduction to Supplemental Health Insurance

Supplemental health insurance is a secondary health insurance designed to pick up the slack after your primary health policy has paid, and you need more coverage. Medicare is an example of a secondary health insurance policy. Due to health insurance changes, it's important to see what your current health insurance will allow.

Defined

Supplemental health insurance is a secondary health insurance. It usually just covers the amounts that may be left over after your main insurance pays. There are a lot of supplemental health insurance companies out there that offer this.

How It Works

When you visit your doctor, your primary health insurance is billed. If you don't have supplemental health insurance, you have to pay whatever amount is left after your health insurance pays. If you have a secondary policy, it will be billed. Whatever left after they pay is what you would have to pay for.

Eligibility

Due to health insurance changes in the last few years, you might not be eligible to have a supplemental health insurance policy. Many major health insurance companies will not cover anyone that plans on having two policies. Before purchasing supplemental health insurance, check with your current health insurance company.

Price

If you are able to have the primary and supplemental plans, check on the cost. Sometimes the monthly premiums are more than what you would use. If you have a good health insurance plan, you might want to skip the supplemental health insurance and just pay what's left over with cash.

Some things that supplemental health insurance might cover are:

• Deductibles


• Unexpected child care


• Coinsurance amounts


• Extra calls


• Private room


• Private nurse


• Extra meals, transportation, etc

Supplemental Insurance For Diseases

You can also purchase disease-specific supplemental insurance. For example, there is supplemental health insurance for cancer. If you were diagnosed with cancer, you would receive a cash benefit paid to you if you required treatment. Depending on your policy details, this could be paid to you per treatment, or in other forms. There would be a benefit maximum, so make sure to check on this before starting a policy.