Surgical/hospital health insurance plans fill in as basic insurance plans for people who have to keep cost in mind. The plans also serve as supplemental health coverage for those who desire the additional protection of these plans, which are structured to cover specific health conditions and limited stays in the hospital.
Identification
Surgical/hospital health insurance policies are the more "basic" plans provided by an insurance company. These plans don't cover services such as office visits or outpatient diagnostic tests.
Some insurance providers may require their customers to pay a small deductible.
Significance
Because surgical/hospital insurance plans cover specific conditions treated in a hospital, they don't provide other outpatient services. Because these plans fall under the "basic" coverage umbrella, they may not cover lengthy hospital stays or expensive medical care. Coverage may be limited to specific illnesses or conditions that are listed in the policy.
Features
These insurance plans do cover the costs of a hospital stay, such as room and board, surgery, diagnostic X-rays, the physician's non-surgical services performed in the hospital and lab tests.
The surgical/hospital insurance plan may also cover admission and room and board in an extended-care facility. The surgical/hospital insurance plan provides what is called "first-dollar" coverage, meaning that the plan pays for covered medical expenses and the patient has no deductible to pay.
Considerations
The patient who purchases this kind of plan and who finds himself in the hospital for a long time could face a steep hospital bill unless he has also purchased health insurance that covers longer hospital stays or illnesses.
The patient also needs to make sure he has bought an insurance plan that covers outpatient medical care, diagnostic and lab tests so he has more broad coverage and doesn't have to foot expensive bills whether they are for outpatient, surgery or hospitalization.
Benefits
Surgical/hospitalization plans provide coverage for hospital stays and surgery. This type of plan, while basic, can be purchased as a supplement to broad medical coverage or they can be purchased to serve as basic coverage.
Some plans will provide coverage for intensive care, surgical service and assistant surgeon. These plans serve well as a supplemental coverage plan.
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