Find a plan.
A TRUSTED INDEPENDENT HEALTH INSURANCE GUIDE SINCE 1999.
Call our agency partners 866-553-3223

Featured

Featured
What are the deadlines for the ACA’s open enrollment period?
A list of the open enrollment deadlines for enrollment in 2024 ACA-compliant health insurance in every state. Open enrollment runs from November 1 to January 15 or January 16 in most states, but some state-run exchanges have different schedules.

Latest News & Topics

Latest News & Topics

Featured

Featured
Applying for ACA Coverage?
Understanding how small differences in projected income can have a large impact on your health plan costs can be key to obtaining affordable coverage.
Call our agency partners 866-553-3223

supplemental insurance

What is supplemental insurance?

Supplemental insurance refers to an insurance policy that supplements your primary health insurance coverage. Supplemental insurance includes a variety of policies that can be offered by employers or purchased on their own, including:

  • Life insurance provides a death benefit to loved ones (beneficiaries). Term life insurance policies will only pay out if you die during a specific period of time (often 10, 20, or 30 years). Permanent life insurance (whole life or universal life) is more expensive but will pay your beneficiaries when you die, regardless of when that happens.
  • Short-term disability pays a percentage of your pre-disability income if you cannot work because of a disabling illness or injury. Typically, coverage is for six months or less.
  • Long-term disability pays a percentage of your pre-disability income if you cannot work because of a disabling illness or injury. Typically, coverage is longer than six consecutive months and may take effect when short term disability ends (for a person who has both types of coverage). 
  • Dental insurance covers a portion of basic dental expenses that you may incur, including procedures and treatments that generally improve and maintain your oral health.
  • Vision insurance typically covers some portion of the costs of annual eye exams, and a  portion of the cost of prescription glasses or contact lenses.
  • Accident insurance provides coverage that reimburses the insured in the event of a claim arising from an accident or injury.
  • Critical illness insurance is coverage that pays the insured a lump sum following the diagnosis of an illness covered under the plan. Critical-illness plans often cover diseases like cancer, organ transplant, heart attack, and stroke, among others.

Original Medicare enrollees have access to Medicare supplement insurance, otherwise known as Medigap coverage. Medigap plans pay some or all of the out-of-pocket costs for treatment that’s covered under Original Medicare, including coinsurance and deductibles.