Summer is here. And with the warmer weather we see families getting out and enjoying more outdoor activities.

A dislocated shoulder from a fall during a hike, a broken ankle during a football game-–as a physician, you’re familiar with how to physically treat these kinds of injuries. But are you prepared financially if they happen to you or someone in your family? Your health insurance will cover a good portion of your medical bills, but additional medical and non-medical expenses can accumulate quickly. Accident insurance covers medical and non-medical expenses to help bridge the gap between your health insurance and these additional out of pocket expenses. A cash benefit is paid directly to you upon diagnosis of a covered, accidental injury.

Most of us don’t choose to take unnecessary risks, but accidents still happen. Accidents and injuries can happen anytime and anywhere: driving to the grocery store, while taking on a small home improvement project, or tripping on an uneven sidewalk.

Most of us don’t choose to take unnecessary risks, but accidents still happen. Injuries can occur in completely innocuous situations: a drive to the grocery store, during a small home improvement project, at a soccer game.

When you or a family member gets hurt, your health insurance will take care of a good portion of your medical bills. Still, there are additional medical and non-medical expenses that can accumulate quickly. Accident insurance can lend a helping hand financially.

Health insurance is necessary coverage, but your coverage doesn’t offer complete protection. For your yearly exam and office visits, you may have very little personal expense. But in other circumstances, your insurance may leave a substantial balance for you to cover. What if you or a family member become injured? There may be lab tests, x-rays, professional fees, and other medical expenses. These costs can quickly accumulate.

First there was the seatbelt. It was considered essential protection in the event of an automobile accident. Then came the air bag – an advancement that offered added protection from bodily injury in a collision.

Today virtually every car on the road has both kinds of protection – each working to complement the safety benefits of the other.

As we turn the corner on a new year, it’s likely that you have finalized your health insurance decisions for yourself and your family. But with the higher deductibles, copays and coverage limits of most health insurance plans today, many of our clients are choosing to supplement their primary coverage with an additional kind of protection – accident insurance.

“It was an accident!” Those words, often spoken mournfully, demonstrate that as common as accidents are, we are often unhappily surprised by them. And indeed, accidents are very common. In the United States, every 7 seconds a disabling injury is caused by a motor vehicle crash,* and 1 in 5 Americans visit the emergency room at least once a year.**

When you or a family member is injured, you know that your medical insurance will take care of a good portion of your medical bills, but there are additional expenses (medical and non-medical in nature) that can accumulate quickly. How can you financially prepare for this unhappy situation?

By definition, an accident is neither expected nor intended; in other words, you don’t see it coming, and when it does ... you wish it hadn’t. Out-of-pocket medical costs are also an unexpected surprise for many when an accident occurs. If you or a family member falls from a ladder, breaks an ankle during a soccer game, or burns an arm while trying out the new electric pressure cooker; expenses that aren’t covered by health insurance may add up quickly.

For TMA members, help is available to pay for the out-of-pocket costs related to an accident. Now that you have health insurance in place for the new year, why not examine your family’s need for accident insurance coverage?