What is voluntary health insurance?

Kyle Walton

8 years ago

“To sum it up…”

Voluntary insurance is a valuable benefit for employers
Providers use voluntary insurance to gain access to employee group markets
Voluntary insurance lets employees decide the type of coverage they want
Voluntary insurance provides important protection and security for employees

Voluntary insurance is an important source of protection for employees. Those without employer-sponsored health insurance can get a select menu of benefits at below market prices. Comparison shopping is an ideal way to rate plans and benefits.

Comparison shopping can focus on the aspects that have a priority such as out-of-pocket costs and deductibles.

Enter your zip above to start comparing health insurance quotes today!

Employers Have Little Cost

Unlike most job-related health insurance, voluntary insurance is a step an employer can take without expending resources at all or with a small expenditure. The providers offer group rates to employees with no employer contribution. The provider’s offer low rates because they get the benefit of access to the employee groups.

Employees Choose

The voluntary insurance selection for employees is completely in their control. The idea of voluntary means they can accept or reject the option to get insured. They can choose what they need or choose nothing at all.

Some only want catastrophic protection to save money. The benefits of protection go to them and their families. They also are more likely to remain employed in the event of loss or casualty. The voluntary insurance can help get them back to work.

The Individual Mandate

Employers can use voluntary insurance for purposes other than meeting the requirements for health coverage with qualified health insurance.

These health plans can get subsidies and assistance only when purchased through the Obamacare Marketplace.

Understanding Voluntary Insurance

Health plans are voluntary when the employee has a free choice to buy or not. The employer acts as an accommodation party.

The employer simply sets the stage; the employee must decide everything else.

The employer may or may not cover part of the premium payments.

The Affordable Care Act requires insurance coverage. This is not voluntary, one either gets covered or pays a penalty of $695 per adult per year. Voluntary insurance has no penalty attached to it. One simply decides to buy coverage to protect the self or family from foreseeable harm.

Voluntary health insurance is not compelled by law; it is a choice by an employee to add some insurance benefits.

Voluntary Menu

The employer can arrange a menu of voluntary insurance plans by meeting with an insurance agent or producer. They can arrange a menu of voluntary insurance as a type of workplace benefit.

In the post-WWII era, employees and the public have used voluntary insurance for protection. Voluntary insurance is an effective benefit for employees with full, little, or no other insurance coverage.

Employees can browse the menu and focus on the options they find useful and affordable. The below-listed items are typical voluntary insurance menu options.

Life insurance
Dental and vision insurance
Accidental injury coverage
Critical illness and work loss protection

Voluntary Insurance is Always Open

Many providers offer voluntary plans year-round and do not close enrollment. This can be critical for those in need of coverage outside of the enrollment season for qualified health plans.

Employers can establish voluntary menus at any time of the year and sellers can ensure that employees get some form of coverage after the Marketplace closes. Medicaid and CHIP are open year-round too.

Missed Open Season?

Voluntary insurance does not replace the qualified health plans sold on the Obamacare Marketplace. After the open enrollment season closes, one cannot buy a policy without an exemption, exception, or special enrollment period.

Voluntary health insurance can fill in some of the missing pieces of coverage until one can get a marketplace policy, CHIP, Medicaid, or Medicare. Many people would gain by having the accident, disability and catastrophic coverage from voluntary insurance menus.

Exemptions for hardship can cover a few months and help avoid the penalty or reduce it substantially.
Extensions can add days or weeks to the sign-up period. States and the federal government use them to provide a fair opportunity for enrollment when events or system crowding have interfered with enrollment.
Exceptions for qualified life events can create a new sixty-day window for enrollment. They include status changes like moving to a new location, childbirth, divorce, and marriage.

Price Advantage for Employees

The employees can get great prices on some high-content insurance plans. They can get far more coverage than when shopping as individuals.

Insurance companies can offer group rates just as they do with other employer-sponsored health insurance.

Employees get group rates and often from top-rated insurance companies. They may also get features and combinations of benefits that they could not get on the open market shopping as individuals.

Direct-paid Benefits

When employees sign up for voluntary insurance, the employer is out of the loop. The insurance company collects the premiums from the employee and pays benefits either to service providers or the insured person directly.

Obamacare affects some policies by adding limits. The direct payment appeals to many employees. The funds that replace lost earnings may have particular importance for families.

Advantages for the Employer

Some employers pay part of the premiums for the items that employees select from the menu of insurance and benefits options. These tax-deductible contributions make excellent investments in employee welfare.

Not only do the employees gain the insured benefits, but there is also a good chance of increased employee loyalty and identification with the employer.

The goodwill extends to the community as word of the generous benefits spread. Employers should make certain that it is not restricted by law.

Healthy Workers Make Better Employees

Voluntary health benefits can contribute to wellness and prevention, lower rates of absenteeism, and fewer workplace injuries. Protection against disability and injury can relieve work site stress. Voluntary insurance can cover things that other types of insurance do not cover.

For families with each member having separate needs, no single policy may cover everyone adequately. The voluntary insurance programs for large providers can be extensive and cover many the gaps in other insurance. For example, Obamacare Marketplace policies often omit dental and vision coverage for insured and their dependents.

Cost Effective Benefits for Every Employer

The costs of setting up a robust menu of voluntary health insurance items can be quite low. Many arrangements require no cash investment from the employer; the employer retains the option of contributing towards premiums.

The employer role may be minimal such as providing notices to employees and dedicating enough personnel hours to make sure the employees know about the program. This can be a step towards a small-business health program.

Employers do not have to pay premiums
Employers do not participate for any period.
Employers do not have to endorse the program.
Voluntary insurance does not affect the employer or individual mandate.

Advantages for the Providers

The key for the insurance companies is getting access to large groups of employees. The law penalizes firms that do not provide required benefits. Voluntary insurance rewards them for doing something extra. Insurers can market to a few large employers or greater numbers of medium and small employers.

The math adds up to positives for the sellers, and they extend group pricing to the employees. The lower rates go with the group markets; the sellers get an opportunity to create a group of loyal customers.

Volunteers Get Insured

Voluntary health insurance consists of policies offered to employees and the public that provide specialized protection against loss or injury. It can supplement other insurance, cover for a missed open season, or standalone to cover some part of health like dental or vision. Employees purchase voluntary health insurance by their choice and the employer may or may not contribute to the premiums.

Comparison shopping provides an advantage for consumers. It helps focus on the features that matter most. When selecting among private insurance plans, comparison shopping can help get the best value at the lowest price.

To compare private health insurance plans from your state’s top providers, enter your zip code below! Our free tool will give you personalized results in a matter of minutes!