A Little on the Side…Or Not? Your Guide to Supplemental Insurance

Published on: 24 November 2018 Last Updated on: 30 October 2024
Supplemental Insurance

Have you ever experienced something you didn’t expect?

It might have been something good, like bumping into an old friend on vacation or being taken to a surprise party.

Or it could have been something not so favorable: a car accident, the loss of a job, a sudden illness…

The world is an unpredictable place. Each new day brings its own surprises – both good and bad.

We can’t plan for those surprises, but we can protect ourselves. In 2017, Americans spent $1.2 trillion on health insurance premiums. Having a good health insurance plan can protect you in the event of an unforeseen injury or illness.

But it’s not always enough. Some people go to make a claim only to find that it isn’t covered. Others can afford to make their monthly premiums, but when they need medical assistance, they can’t afford to pay their copays.

Even with health insurance, medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US.

Supplemental insurance may help cover those costs so you don’t need to add a financial emergency along to your medical emergency.

What Is Supplemental Insurance?

As the name might suggest, supplemental insurance is a type of insurance that supplements your existing healthcare coverage.

There is a wide variety of health insurance plans, but most plans give you a choice between a low monthly premium and a high deductible or a high monthly payment with a low deductible.

Most people choose to go with a low monthly premium-especially if they’re generally in good health. But since 61% of Americans don’t have enough savings to cover a $1,000 emergency, that high deductible could ruin them.

Supplemental insurance is a separate health insurance policy that can be used to cover additional expenses that you may be unable to cover on your own.

You might use it to pay for a deductible, copays, or care that your regular insurance does not cover.

Some supplemental insurance companies will even cover lost wages for time off due to illness.

Supplemental insurance carries its own monthly premium. However, this premium is often lower than the difference between your current insurance plan and a plan that would cover everything else you need.

Types of Supplemental Insurance:

Just like every health insurance plan is different, there are several different kinds of supplemental insurance. You can mix and match these plans as needed.

Dental Insurance:

Dental Insurance

It’s likely that you already have supplemental insurance without realizing it.

Most health insurance plans do not cover dental work. And since regular visits to the dentist are an important way to fight dental problems, that could leave you on the hook for expensive out of pocket costs.

To cover your dental care costs, you must have a supplemental plan.

This supplemental is often provided in your benefits package from your employer without you even realizing it. If you manage your own insurance, your primary insurance provider may offer a separate plan to cover these.

Vision Insurance:

Like dental insurance, vision care is not typically covered by most health insurance policies.

And that’s bad news considering that 75% of Americans need some kind of vision correction.

While you could always see an optician at the cheap eye clinic in the strip mall, that’s a poor substitute for regular appointments with an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

An optician can also miss other serious problems that an optometrist or ophthalmologist would catch.

Supplementing your medical insurance with vision insurance can keep your vision care expenses from running through the roof.

Medigap:

Medicare is a state-run insurance program that covers citizens over 65 or certain individuals with disabilities. It is funded through taxes, so recipients do not pay a monthly premium.

Many people depend on Medicare to cover the cost of their ongoing healthcare. But it doesn’t cover everything.

Medigap plans can help cover out-of-pocket expenses or necessary care that is not covered by Medicare.

Travel Insurance:

Travel Insurance

If you’re traveling away from home and you are injured or become ill, you may not be able to find any healthcare providers within your network.

Purchasing supplemental travel insurance before you travel is a good way you can stay covered if the worst should happen.

Critical Illness Insurance:

While insurance exists to cover unforeseen costs that you cannot afford, every insurance plan has an annual limit or a cap on how much they will cover. If you reach that cap, you must pay for any costs beyond that.

If you become seriously ill, it can be easy to reach the cap in a hurry.

Supplemental critical illness insurance is used to cover expenses beyond your insurance policy’s annual limit.

Do I Need It?

You might be reading this thinking, “this is all well and good, but do I actually need supplemental insurance?”

  • Can you afford to pay your entire deductible?
  • Can you pay for out-of-pocket expenses like copays and prescriptions?
  • Can you afford to pay for additional care out of pocket?

Are you at risk of reaching your policy’s annual limit?

If you answered “yes” to most of those questions, then you might not need supplemental insurance. If you have a savings account that you can dip into to cover extra costs, you can skip it and pay less per month.

However, if you do not have a lot saved up, paying a few dollars more per month for supplemental insurance could save you if you suffer a health crisis.

Take a look at your financial situation, your current health insurance, and your overall health and make an informed decision.

Protect Yourself:

Supplemental insurance is a great way to protect yourself from uncovered medical expenses.

But as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You can help prevent runaway medical costs by taking care of your health.

For more articles about how you can stay healthy, visit the health & fitness section of our blog!

Read Also:

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Loans Faster

8 Simple Tips To Pay Off Your Loans Faster

Many people consider taking out a loan when they don't have the necessary funds to pay for something upfront. This allows them to make big purchases or investments without missing out on limited-time opportunities like discounts or promotions. For other reasons, people may also take out a loan for personal emergencies like paying medical bills or investing in a new business that can help them achieve their goals. No matter the reason, borrowers are still obliged to pay back the same amount of money within a period of time, with designated interest rates. To enjoy a debt-free life faster, here are some tips on how you can pay off your loans faster: 8 Simple Tips To Pay Off Your Loans Faster: 1. Arrange your debts: Create a spreadsheet or a list of every single debt you have and arrange it based on whether it is outstanding or not. Include details like how much cash you borrowed as well as the payments you have made so far. This allows you to keep track of your progress and give you a visual motivation to get things done. Remember to always pay on time to avoid increasing your debt further. Read more: Eight Essential Tips For Getting Out Of Debt 2. Ask help from an expert: If you need help managing your debt or are looking for expert advice, consider contacting the nearest expert financial group in your area. Many of them offer consultation or debt relief services that help manage complicated loans. For instance, Check Into Cash offers various solutions at affordable rates and have several locations within the United States. You can also visit finance advice blogs and social media websites for industry tips from experts. 3. Create a budget plan and stick with it: Creating a budget allows you to allocate your finances into segments. This includes dividing your monthly pay into equal portions sorting your expenses according to the following: Bills and important payables Grocery budget Food and transportation allowances Loans and debts Savings Miscellaneous and emergency expenses Keep this data in a logbook or in your personal spreadsheet to track your progress. 4. Pay off the most expensive ones first: Not all debts are created the same, if you haven't been paying your credit card loan then you might want to start now. The reason for this is because credit cards have the highest interest rates compared to other lenders. However, depending on your loan you can also pay off the ones with the smallest balance first and use the debt snowball method. The snowball method is done this way: List all of your loans from the most to the least Make the minimum required payments for each loan Try to allocate as many resources possible for the loan with the least balance Do it every month until all balances are cleared Read more: Using Short-Term Loans To Help Rebuild Your Credit Score 5. Pay more than the minimum: If you have extra money, consider paying it directly to your loans to help pay off your debt faster. Make sure each payment you make is up to date so a portion of it won't go to interest. If you don’t have any extra money, look for a side job like doing paid online surveys or driving for Uber and Lyft. If you’re creative, you can also freelance part-time and create content for clients on various websites. 6. Sell items you don't need: Many of us can live without a few extra items in our house. Sell off some items like electronics, art, and furniture on a garage sale or online shops like eBay. If you have items that may need refurbishing, try getting them repaired before selling them off. You'll be surprised how much people are looking to buy things on a bargain! 7. Lessen your spending habits: Learn to live frugally for a while. Instead of paying for gas, use public transportation or walk to your destination. Make home-cooked meals instead of ordering out, and as much as possible try to limit your shopping habits except for necessities like groceries. If you must buy something like a dress or a pair of shoes, consider waiting for a sale or look for bargains online. Every little act counts. 8. Refinancing: Refinancing your loans might seem counter-intuitive. But it's a smart way of transferring your loan with high-interest rates to another lender that offers affordable loan interest rates. Some examples of these are student loan refinancing options, home loan refinancing, and auto loan refinancing. It's a great way of saving money since you're able to remove yourself from high-interest debts which take a long time to repay. Final Thoughts: Paying off your debt faster allows you to enjoy your life without worries, providing you peace of mind while also ensuring financial strength. For the latter, paying off your debt as soon as possible allows you to have better credit scores, which provides you with more financial opportunities in the future. Learning how to live life frugally while paying off a debt can also be a great learning experience since it helps you learn to value every penny you earn. While it may seem overwhelming at times, learning how to be financially responsible for making a plan and sticking with it will help you become more responsible in the future. If you need any help, contact your local bank or nearest financial group and see whether they have offer consultation services that can help you formulate your own plan. for personalization Manager: I can't access the website to check the link. it says that it's blocked in our country. Read Also: Debt Consolidation Plans For Your Debt Relief Are Payday Loans Really As Bad As People Say? 5 Questions To Ask When Deciding On An SBA Loan The 8 Smart Tips To Get A Smart Repayment Plan Home Sweet Home Improvement: How To Find The Best Home Improvement Loans

READ MOREDetails
Trading

Trading Versus Investing: Which Is Right For You?

There are two distinct stakeholders in every market, we have the traders and the investors. These two sets of people have one thing in common, they both want to make a profit however they approach the market differently. If you are reading this article you are probably interested in the market but, you are a little bit dazed about either deciding on trading or investing. It's time to cheer up friends, don't be disturbed anymore, your questions would be clarified after reading this article. This article would share the necessary information you require to make your decision; trading or investing. Let's get started. What is trading? Trading is a financial activity carried out to earn a profit from short-term fluctuations in the market. Trading involves buying and selling financial instruments; stocks, currencies, commodities, and derivatives to make profits from their price movements within short periods. What is investing? Investing is a long-term financial activity where investors buy a financial instrument; for example, stocks that can yield returns in the long run. Unlike trading, investing requires creating a variety of portfolios of assets and keeping them through every stage of the market till the period they wish or project to take their returns. Unlike trading which is reliant on price movements for returns, investing grants numerous benefits such as bonuses, dividends, buybacks, stock splits, and more. The similarities between trading and investing Trading and investing have a similar objective which is to make a profit. They both offer the possibility of getting rewards. Trading and investment both hold the possibility of a loss; they both have financial risks. You need an account/broker to either trade or invest. Without an account, you cannot buy and sell or invest in stocks, ETFs, options, currencies, and others. The differences between trading and investing The table below would give you a better understanding of the differences between traders and investing: CharacteristicsTradingInvestmentRiskHighModerate/LowCapital growthFrom short-term profitAmass gains/wealth overtime while minimizing risksIntentionPurchase assets during the short term and take advantage of mispricing/irregular price movements in the marketBuy investments and hold them for a long period to grow capitalLeverage offeredYesNoAnalysis neededTechnical analysisFundamental analysisCapital gainsMajorly short termBoth short-term and long termPeriod of investment trackingHigh/ConsistentMedium/lessAsset durationSeconds, minutes, a few hoursWeeks, months, years/decadesAssetsStocks, optionsStocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds Conclusion When you are about to make a decision; trading or investing, be introspective. Ask yourself and consider how patient you are. Are you knowledgeable about investing or trading? What are your skills or expertise? Can you manage risks? Or do you prefer to play safe? Based on these questions and your strengths or weaknesses you can think about, you can now decide which; trading or investing is best for you. Remember, trading is more susceptible to financial risk because it is a short-term activity while investing is long-term and less susceptible to financial risk. Trading and investing are not profitable though trading can be a way to earn quick profits while investing wins come in the long run but with fewer losses than trading. You can find your perfect binary options broker as a trader or investor today. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) I. Do traders earn more than investors? We can not authoritatively say that a trader is earning more than an investor vis-a-vis. Traders and investors both have the potential to profit. But they both have to make the right and smart decisions otherwise they would lose money. II. What types of trading can I engage with? There are four types of trading; day trading, position trading, swing trading, and scalp trading. Day trading: Positions are held during the day alone. Position trading: Positions are held for months to decades. Swing trading: Positions are held within days to weeks. Scalp trading: Positions are held within seconds to minutes. Scalp trading is usually operated during the day alone. III. What types of investing can I engage with? Some of the types of investing you can engage in are index investing, active investing, passive investing, value investing, market cap-based investing and growth investing. Read Also: Unveiling The Dark Side Of Trading: Exposing Binary Options Scams And Ensuring A Secure Future What Beginners Must Know About Trading Options In Dubai Margin Trading Tips & Strategies For Beginners

READ MOREDetails
Financial Risks

5 Financial Risks of Starting a Small Business and How to Avoid Them

Small companies are a vital ingredient of the national economy. In the United States alone, there are 31.7 million small businesses. They provide 64% of all new employment produced in the country. More than half of all small firms fail within the first year, and more than 95% fail during the first 5 years. Furthermore, 66 percent experience financial woes. For 43 percent of small companies, the challenge is paying operating overhead. This happened after work from home became the mainstream, with a majority of Americans working remotely in the year 2020, lowering expenses for businesses to prosper. Additionally, 60 percent of businesses closed as a result of the virus. Here are 5 major financial risks to avoid while establishing your business: 1. Don’t Go Up-Beat With The Prices It is very hard for a business to start with a high price for a product or a service and then tone it down due to lack of engagement. Instead, you should be moderate and even low with the prices at the start because it will get you enough traffic. But don’t rely on those prices for too long because business needs to thrive, start increasing prices gradually. Use customer service and social media to inform the people of the quality you maintain, people always are ready to pay a little extra if they know the quality is maintained. 2. Avoid Taking a Loan if You Don’t Need One Just because you are starting your business, does not necessarily mean that you have to have a good amount on one hand. This type of thinking can stress you out even before the process starts and can numb the creative juices. Furthermore, bank loans are always given with interest, and if your business does not keep up, you might end up in a filthy debt. Try to work with the resources you have and once you have established your name then maybe consider taking out a loan to expand. 3. Think About Having Multiple Business Models In One Business: If you are a product-based business, don’t just rely on that, if you are a service-based corporate, don’t say that the revenue will be generated only from that. Instead, create an online presence and figure out other means of generating revenues as well. Social media campaigns and blogs can help you get ads and thus more revenue from multiple sources. 4. Getting People Employed When You Don’t Have Money It’s true that you are on the road to progress but test your business out with self-help in the first months, and when the processes of revenue generation are smooth, then look for additional help. It will save you from the unnecessary mental pressure of paying someone when you are struggling with profits. 5. Always Get a Legal Framework In Order Work hard on your policies related to customers and services. Invest in getting licit legal help and building the right nest for your legal protection. Getting the right insurance is also a part of building your legal frameworks. Talisman Casualty is a leading provider of general liability insurance for small contractors in Las Vegas, you can consider them for your business legalities. Having professional help will aid you in making the right decisions timely. Read Also: Benefits of NBFC Business Loans What Are the Alternatives for Small Business Startup Loans?  

READ MOREDetails