(NAPSA)—Rising health care costs are a growing concern in our country. About 45 million Americans have no health insurance— and not necessarily because they're unemployed. According to a 2008 Kaiser Commission report, approximately eight in 10 unin- sureds live in families with at least one worker. But a new option for basic health care coverage may provide the solution many employers, workers and their families are looking for: a limited benefit medical plan. A limited benefit medical plan provides affordable, limited coverage for basic health expenses such as: doctor’s office visits * preventive care diagnostic tests and X-rays hospital confinement * prescription drugs. “A limited benefit medical plan isn’t major medical insurance, but it helps pay for the kind of routine, noncatastrophic medical expenses many families experience most often,” says Justin Laughlin, assistant vice president for health products at Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company. How The Coverage Works Limited benefit medical plans usually participate in networks that provide discounted fees for medical services such as doctor’s visits and tests from network providers. Here are examples of what a typical plan might pay for an in-network doctor’s office visit and a lab test, and the patient’s out-of-pocket cost after the network discount and payment of the plan benefit: / t Yd You can get help paying for your health care. $60 doctorfee $70 labfee -$13 networkdiscount -27.75 network discount $47charge to patient $42.25 chargeto patient -$40 doctor's office visit benefit, -$40 labtest benefit $7patient's out-of-pocket cost $2.25 patient’s out-of-pocket cost Coverage varies bystate andplan purchased. See your insurance provider for complete information. @ “The need for this type of coverage is strong and growing,” Laughlin says. “A 2005 U.S. Census Bureau report showed uninsured Americansare heavily concentrated in the 18 to 34 age group, when workers may be most likely to have youngfamilies to take careof.” Limited benefit medical plans, sometimes called limited benefit hospital confinement indemnity insurance, are often offered through the workplace. Premiums may be paid by the employer or the employee or shared by both. With today’s rising health care costs, a limited benefit medical plan can provide a much-needed solution for affordable, basic health benefits for full-time and part-time workers who don’t have access to major medical insurance.
