Health Insurance Articles
Do Health Insurance Policies Offer Add-on Coverage
2010-01-27
Health insurance policies can cover more than simply doctor's visits and hospital stays. Some may include medication options, dental plans, and even health spending accounts for chiropractic services. Every group health insurance plan is different, based on both the employer's choices and the types of services offered by the health insurance provider. Employees often accept the health care coverage offered to them, unaware that it may be possible to add on to this coverage with a few simple phone calls.
Employer-governed health care plans will cover the basics of any health care policy. If a client needs to go to the hospital or have surgery, the employer plan will cover them. However, employees have greater needs than simply those of an immediate nature, and buying health care services a la carté can become very expensive very quickly. An option to avoid this increase in costs is to add services onto an existing health care plan. This can be anything from increasing the maximum allowed payout per year to adding services for specific needs or illnesses. The type and level of add-on health insurance coverage offered will vary, depending on both the employer's choices and the insurance provider's policies.
The best bet to find out what kind of options are available is to begin by speaking with a representative of the health insurance company rather than with the employer, as the insurance company is the one who ultimately provides the coverage. In much the same way that a home insurance company may offer a discount on auto insurance if both are purchased through them, employer health plans will often offer employees a discount on add-on services such as dental coverage or prescription drug plans. Speaking with a representative of the insurance company will give some idea of what, if any, add-on options are offered by the insurance company that are in conjunction with the employer's plan.
Be sure to ask about the exact cost of each additional service, as well as the limit of its coverage. Also, be sure to speak to the employer about how the new deductions for add-on services will be managed. Will it be coming off of a paycheck, or do the fees need to be paid manually? Also, make sure to get everything in writing, both from the employer and the insurance company. The purchase of an add-on service can be very worthwhile, but only if the proper documentation exists to back it up. Employer health care coverage can be a great way to ensure that basic needs and medical treatments are covered, however add-on options can ease the stress of overall health care costs.
