Ancillary Health
If you’ve never heard of ancillary benefits, think of them as a secondary type of health insurance. Ancillary health plans provide coverage for miscellaneous medical expenses that are not covered by major health plans. Examples of ancillary health plans include: dental insurance, vision/hearing insurance, and long-term care insurance. We also offer International Travel Health Insurance.
If you think you may need additional coverage, here is more information about ancillary health plans.
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Insurance Consultation
Dental Insurance
Dental insurance helps people afford the costs of keeping their teeth in good condition. These plans are not as complex as major medical insurance plans, making them easy to select and manage. While some major health plans may offer ancillary dental coverage, stand-alone plans are a far more common method of getting this coverage.
When choosing a dental insurance plan, you select the plan based on the providers you will want to see. If you have a dentist you already like seeing, you can find a plan that includes them in your network. If you don’t have a dentist yet, you can simply choose a plan that has a network of dentists and select one of those dentists. If you have a dentist that isn’t featured in the network of your desired plan, you may still be able to see that dentist, though at substantially higher costs.
Dental insurance pays for a lot of different costs. The costs are divided into three categories, preventive, basic, and major. Most preventive services are covered fully, while basic and major services will have some out-of-pocket costs. The amount covered for each category of service depends on the plan you choose. To determine what plan would be ideal for you, you should speak with an insurance agent. They can guide you toward a plan that will make dental care affordable for you.
Vision/Hearing Insurance
Vision insurance exists to lower the cost of routine preventive eye care and prescription eyewear. These plans are unlike major medical insurance policies because they usually only provide a specific set of benefits and discounts on purchases.
Don’t expect vision insurance to pay for corrective eye surgery or other medical procedures. Though, elective vision correction surgery may be discounted through your vision insurance plan. Some services and products covered by vision insurance include:
- Annual eye exams
- Eyeglass frames
- Eyeglass lenses
- Contact lenses
You will also have access to a customer support line that will help you resolve any issues with in-network eye care practitioners. Also, note that vision insurance is relatively inexpensive compared to other insurance plans. You can often maintain a plan for less than $50 per month.
Long-term Care
If you need help taking care of yourself later in life, long-term care insurance can help you pay for those services. When you purchase this type of ancillary coverage, you get access to coverage that will pay the cost of your stay in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or adult daycare center. Long-term care insurance can also help you pay for home health care services when necessary.
These plans are best for people who have chronic conditions that may leave them unable to perform their activities of daily living. Though, it can be good to have a long-term care plan just in case you get injured or contract a sudden illness that debilitates you.
With insurance coverage, you can protect your savings. Think about it, a year in a nursing home can cost more than $80,000 annually. If you don’t have coverage, that cost may have to be paid out of pocket. With insurance, you have more flexibility in where you stay, because you’ll be able to afford a higher level of care.
To be eligible for long-term care benefits, you must be deemed unable to perform at least two of the six “activities of daily living”. You may also qualify if you suffer from cognitive impairment, like dementia. Most long-term care policies require you to pay out-of-pocket for 30, 60, or 90 days. This is the elimination period. After it ends, you will be reimbursed for your costs.
Costs vary for these plans, though someone in good health can pay as little as $2,000 per year for coverage. The price point will be decided based on age, gender, health status, marital status, and the amount of coverage you want. Work with an insurance agent to gather more detailed pricing information.