Published on February 9, 2009

Your regular health insurance should pay most of the doctor and hospital bills. But there are usually hundreds of dollars of deductibles and copayments (including those for prescription drugs) left over. Plus, if you are in a managed-care plan and go outside the approved network, there could be additional charges.

Non-medical costs Getting sick or injured has financial consequences beyond the medical bills, including such out-of-pocket costs as:

Travel expenses to and from special treatment centers
Food and lodging while you’re away from home
Long-distance phone calls
Child care
Extra household help
Home care

Plus, everyday living expenses have to be met like:

Mortgage or rent payments
Care notes
Groceries and utility bills

Loss of income Meeting everyday obligations while incurring treatment-related bills is difficult — particularly when you are not able to earn a paycheck. In dual -income households, the financial consequences can be doubly stressful if the healthy spouse is forced to leave work to care for the recuperating partner. Insurance policies from AFLAC may provide the additional coverage you need. Benefit checks are promptly mailed to you (unless you request otherwise) to spend as you see fit. You can use these benefits to help pick up the expenses traditional major medical plans are not designed to cover like deductibles, cost-sharing, nonmedical, out-of-pocket, and out-of-network charges, not to mention the loss of earning power. And all policies pay benefits regardless of other plans.