Fixed Indemnity Plans Coexist with ACA 

A Federal Appeals Court ruled that consumers may purchase a fixed indemnity product even if they have not purchased comprehensive medical coverage that meets the ACA criteria for minimum essential coverage. It is estimated that four million Americans have purchased this type of plan and do not also have comprehensive medical coverage, bringing a “gap” in Obamacare into the spotlight. In the gap are those living in states that did not expand Medicaid whose household income is too high to qualify for Medicaid and too low to qualify for a subsidy on the public exchange. While we all agree that a plan providing a cash benefit – for example, $500 a day for hospitalization – is not a comprehensive medical benefit, these plans do play an important role in the era of high-deductible health plans. If you do not currently offer supplemental benefits alongside your high deductible health plan, it’s not too late to think about it for 2017. 

Go to full article: www.nytimes.com