Supplemental insurance

With supplemental plans covering many different needs, you may decide one or more is definitely worth the price for you and your family. 

You can enroll in a supplemental insurance plan at any time. There may be a waiting period for your coverage to begin or before some benefits can be accessed, so be sure to check the benefit details when you choose your plan.

You may think about choosing supplemental coverage when:

• Your coverage through your employer doesn’t include coverage for dental or vision
• You’re buying your own medical plan and want to fill in your coverage, like dental or vision
• You want cash-benefit coverage to protect yourself in case of unexpected medical bills
• You have a Medicare plan and want to add supplemental plans to complete your coverage

A supplemental plan is not a replacement for a medical health insurance plan. It’s coverage that’s meant to be added to a health insurance plan.

A medical health insurance plan is important to cover most of your health needs, like yearly checkups with your primary doctor or routine medical care. A supplemental plan is coverage you can add to help protect you from paying costs your medical plan won’t cover.

Supplemental insurance is a broad category of insurance products that typically pair with or "supplement," your main health coverage. You can pick and choose the areasw that fit your particular needs. Common types of coverage include: 

• Dental insurance – covers exams, cleanings and often more
• Vision insurance – covers exams and often helps pay for glasses and/or contacts
• Accident insurance – helps cover expenses relating to accidental injury
• Critical illness insurance – pays cash benefits for qualifying serious illnesses or medical conditions, like cancer or a stroke
• Hospital insurance – helps with the costs of a stay in a hospital
• Fixed indemnity insurance – (also called hospital and doctor fixed benefit health insurance) pays fixed benefits for covered medical services, often used to help pay for common medical care like doctor office visits, prescriptions and hospital stays before you've met your main health insurance deductible

Insurance bundles are a way to combine your coverage, so you can choose the right mix of plans to meet your unique needs. Everyone’s lifestyle and coverage needs are different, so bundling the plans you need can help ensure you’re choosing the right level of coverage for you. Depending on how plans are bundled, you could save money compared to buying these plans separately.

For example, if you have a health plan that doesn’t include dental or vision coverage, you could choose to bundle a dental plan with a vision plan. Together, a dental and vision plan would likely include coverage for your routine dental and eye exams, helping you save money. And in some cases, there’s no waiting period for coverage to start.

Some plans may have what’s called a “waiting period” before some benefits become available.

Certain plans, like dental or vision plans, may have no waiting period for some care. For example, sometimes routine dental visits or vision exams will be covered right away. But within those same plans, there could be waiting periods for major procedures related to your dental or vision care.

It’s a good idea to check the coverage details before you enroll in a plan to understand what the waiting period may be.

If you have a change in your situation, such as finding a new job that offers insurance or if your life circumstances change, you may decide you need to drop or cancel your supplemental coverage.

When you choose UnitedHealthcare supplemental plans, underwritten by Golden Rule insurance company, you will not have a penalty for cancelling your coverage.

As you shop around, be sure to check on this detail to be sure you understand how the plan benefits work.

If you find you need to drop or cancel your coverage, call the number on your member ID card to learn more.