AlwaysCare introduces new group critical illness, accident plans

AlwaysCare Benefits, Inc., a Starmount Life Insurance company, has launched new group critical illness and accident insurance plans with benefits to help health plan members fill the widening medical and non-medical financial gaps related to serious illness or injury.

AlwaysCare’s plans feature lump-sum benefits paid on diagnosis of covered critical illnesses or accidental injuries to help defray costs not typically covered by health plans. The plans are available immediately in select states across the country on an employer-paid or voluntary basis.

According to a national study published in 2009 in the American Journal of Medicine, as many as 62% of bankruptcies in the United States have a medical cause, even among those with health insurance. That’s because many health plans can leave gaps:

• Higher deductibles and co-payments for medical expenses;
• Little or no coverage for experimental treatments (often crucial for critical illness care); and
• Increased other expenses during critical illnesses (such as missed mortgage payments and/or lost income during recovery).

AlwaysCare’s new critical illness and accident plans were designed to help fill these financial gaps when members need help most, paying cash benefits that can be used any way members see fit.

AlwaysCare Critical Illness insurance coverage pays members basic benefit amounts on diagnosis of a covered critical illness, such as heart attack, stroke, major organ transplants and cancer. The plan also features a recurrence benefit for a member re-diagnosed later with the same illness and an additional benefit for a member diagnosed with a different critical illness.

AlwaysCare Accident insurance includes more than 60 standard benefits payable upon accident-related medical diagnoses such as dislocations, fractures, concussions, burns and other specific injuries, as well as accidental death and dismemberment. Benefits are also payable for accident-related hospitalization and transportation.