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Supplemental Insurance

Cash-benefit policies that fill the gaps your medical plan leaves.

Why supplemental insurance

  • Supplemental insurance can pay a cash benefit to you and help protect you financially.
  • Health insurance isn’t enough, especially if you have a high-deductible plan.
  • Illness and medical bills contributed to more than 62% of all bankruptcies.
  • Of those filing bankruptcy, almost 78% had health insurance (Harvard, “Medical Bankruptcy in the United States, 2007,” The American Journal of Medicine).
  • 42% of Americans say they live paycheck to paycheck (2010 CareerBuilder survey).

Cancer insurance

  • Cancer insurance complements your medical and disability income coverage.
  • Eases the financial impact of a cancer diagnosis by providing a lump-sum benefit to help pay additional expenses.
  • Thanks to advancements in modern medicine, chances of recovery from cancer have greatly improved.
  • The lump sum can be used to pay deductibles, or normal living expenses like mortgage/rent and utility bills — “It’s your money … you decide how to spend it!”
  • Nearly 78% of all cancers are diagnosed in people 55 years and older.
  • Cancer is the second leading cause of death, behind heart disease.
  • 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women develop cancer in their lifetime.
  • Common financial problems for cancer patients (Livestrong survey, 2015):
    • 64% made financial sacrifices
    • 59% used retirement or other savings
    • 39% could not cover the costs of care
    • 32% borrowed money or went into debt
    • 66% worried about their future finances
  • Stand Up To Cancer — get involved

Critical illness, heart attack, stroke

  • Critical illness insurance complements your medical and disability income coverage.
  • Eases the financial impact of a critical illness with a lump-sum benefit.
  • Most medical plans don’t cover everything — medical co-pays, deductibles, and home help can remain.
  • Every 40 seconds someone has a stroke; 79% of patients survive; the average out-of-pocket cost for stroke is $23,380.
  • In the U.S. a heart attack occurs every 43 seconds; 84% of patients survive; the average out-of-pocket cost is $21,955.
  • Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, claiming more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined.
  • The average cost of a severe heart attack (direct and indirect) is about $1 million.
  • Policy features:
    • A lump-sum benefit to use as you see fit — medical expenses, mortgage, car payments, help around the house, experimental treatments, or even a vacation
    • Coverage that can go with you if you leave your employer
  • Critical illness costs cause more than 60% of all bankruptcies; 78% had health insurance; the average medical bankruptcy is under $15,000.

Accident insurance

  • Helps handle the medical and out-of-pocket costs that add up after an accidental injury — emergency treatment, hospital stays, medical exams, transportation, and lodging.
  • 1 in 8 people seek medical attention from an injury each year.
  • 67% of all emergency room visits are injury related.
  • Cost of a broken leg (costhelper.com):
    • Without health insurance, non-surgical treatment typically costs up to $2,500 or more for a fracture that requires a cast
    • $210 leg X-ray on average (NewChoiceHealth.com), but as much as $1,000+ at some radiology centers
    • $221–$238 for application of a short or long leg cast
    • $90–$200 typical doctor fee for non-surgical fracture office visit
    • $250–$950 for treatment (Carolina Orthopedic Surgery Associates)
    • Indirect costs: time off work, additional help at the house, transportation

Hospital confinement

  • Even with health insurance, hospital stays can be expensive.
  • Hospital confinement indemnity insurance can help pay for things like deductibles, transportation, and rehabilitation costs that would usually come out of your pocket.
  • Key features:
    • Benefits can be based on days spent in a hospital, outpatient/inpatient surgery, emergency room, and rehab — depending on the plan’s design
    • Lump-sum benefits are paid directly to you to spend as you want
    • Help with out-of-pocket expenses that may not be fully covered by health insurance
    • Benefits paid regardless of any other insurance you have
    • Spend benefits on what you need — coinsurance, lodging, child care
  • The average hospital stay is 4.9 days.
  • The average cost of a hospital stay has doubled.

Disability insurance

  • Disability insurance (income protection) insures your earned income against the risk that a disability keeps you from working — due to injury, illness, or a condition causing physical impairment.
  • About 90% of disabling injuries and illnesses are not work-related — which means Worker’s Compensation does not cover them.
  • 1 in 4 Americans in the workforce today will suffer a disabling injury before they retire.
  • How much: the rule of thumb is that men spend 1–3% and women 2–4% of income on premiums to cover up to approximately 70% of pretax income.
  • Elimination period options: most plans offer 14, 30, 60, or 90 days; the longer you’re willing to wait for benefits, the cheaper the premiums.
  • Benefit duration: most plans offer at least 12-month and 24-month options; if the disability is serious, you must be disabled at least 24 months before you can get Social Security disability benefits.

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