Many years ago a woman I knew discovered she had cancer while she was pregnant. When the baby was delivered his cancer was immediately detected and his treatment was scheduled at a specialty hospital many states away. So the whole family picked up and moved out of town for several months of care.
This family was fortunate that the primary breadwinner was able to work virtually so there was no loss of income. Most families are not this lucky and their financial boat starts to take on water immediately.
Although many of the medical expenses were covered by a good medical plan the deductible, copays and co-insurance still ran into many thousands of dollars. The family’s travel and living expenses had to be added to the mortgage and utility bills in Georgia which still needed to be paid although no one was living in their home.
It was only after I watched the financial stress of this medical condition that I gained some appreciation for THE DUCK. We have seen him in the Heisman pose, we have seen him doing yoga, but do we truly get his message?
We focus on good medical insurance to protect against financial devastation, but few of us have personal experience with the hidden expenses that accompany illness and injury. When an individual can’t get to work because of an accident or sickness we see the medical bills piling up, but what about mortgage payments, car payments, food and utilities? Not to mention insurance payments, tuition, taxes and other recurring expenses?
The Small Business Administration is offering a webinar soon to discuss with employers the benefits of offering supplemental products particularly where traditional employee benefits may no longer fit into the corporate budget.
These benefits are varied, the coverage is voluntary and the discounted premiums are generally paid by the employees. They complement traditional employee benefits of medical, dental, vision and life insurance. By offering access to these optional plans an employer provides protection from some of life’s surprises: cancer, accidents, sickness and income loss just to name a few.
THE DUCK has many worthy competitors as this field is attracting many high quality insurance carriers for your consideration. If you are offered an opportunity to enroll in any of these plans please check the benefits available against your family’s uninsured risk. If you have the opportunity to offer these benefits to employees please consider the possibility so that individuals may be able to protect against unexpected expenses if they choose to enroll.
Today medical insurance alone may no longer be enough to protect against the financial tsunami that can hit when a family member has an accident or a sickness.
For help wading through the many choices, call us at Czajkowski Dumpel & Associates, Inc.