Every major medical plan you own will cost more next year. ACA premiums rise. Medicare Supplement rates climb. Group plan renewals go up. But dental, accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity plans are priced at issue age — they don't follow medical inflation. A well-structured supplemental strategy permanently insulates a portion of your total health insurance spend from the increases you can't control.
A licensed Arizona broker will design a supplemental coverage plan alongside your major medical — free, no obligation.
A licensed Arizona broker will contact you within one business day. Your information is never sold. No cost, no obligation.
Why Supplemental Products Belong in Every Coverage Plan
Supplemental insurance is usually sold as a nice-to-have — a way to cover dental cleanings or get cash if something bad happens. That framing undersells what these products actually do when structured intentionally alongside your major medical plan.
Most Arizona residents understand that health insurance costs go up every year. ACA premiums increase with age and medical inflation. Medicare Supplement rates rise annually. Group plan renewals arrive each year with an uncomfortable number attached. This is the cost of major medical coverage — the insurer is pooling risk across a population, and as the population ages and medical costs rise, premiums follow.
What most people don't realize is that supplemental insurance products — accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, and most dental plans — are priced differently. These products are typically issued at a rate locked to your age when you buy them. A 38-year-old who buys an accident policy today pays the same premium at 48 that they paid at 38. The rate doesn't increase with medical inflation. It doesn't increase because you aged. It's fixed at the moment of purchase.
The practical implication is significant. If roughly 30% of your total monthly insurance spend is in supplemental products at issue-age pricing, then roughly 30% of your total insurance budget is permanently protected from the annual premium increases that affect the rest. Over ten or twenty years, that compounding difference between what you pay on locked-rate supplemental products versus what you'd have paid if that same 30% were in inflating major medical premium is meaningful — often thousands of dollars.
The second argument is more immediate: supplemental products don't just reduce long-term spend — they also protect you against the out-of-pocket costs most likely to hit you in the near term. Most people who hit their major medical deductible do so because of an accident or a hospitalization. Those are precisely the events that accident insurance and hospital indemnity plans are designed to pay cash benefits for. You're not just buying supplemental coverage — you're effectively insuring your own deductible against the scenarios most statistically likely to trigger it.
A broker who only places major medical plans is leaving the most cost-effective part of a long-term coverage strategy off the table. The advisors on this platform are trained to look at your total coverage picture — your major medical plan, your out-of-pocket exposure, your budget, and your age — and design a supplemental strategy that maximizes protection while locking in the portion of your spend that doesn't have to increase every year.
Issue-age supplemental products are priced at the age you buy them and don't follow medical inflation. Allocating ~30% of your total monthly insurance budget to supplemental products permanently shields that portion from the annual premium increases that affect all major medical plans — ACA, Medicare Supplement, group, and STM alike. Over a decade, this compounding difference represents real money.
The most common reason people hit their major medical deductible is an accident or a hospitalization. Accident insurance and hospital indemnity plans pay cash benefits directly to you when those exact events occur — effectively covering the deductible exposure you're most statistically likely to face. You don't have to choose between affordable premiums and manageable out-of-pocket costs when supplemental products bridge the gap.
The Math — Simplified
A simple illustration of how a supplemental strategy affects total 10-year health insurance spend — using conservative assumptions and round numbers.
This illustration compares two hypothetical Arizona families with identical starting budgets. Both spend $600/month on health insurance in Year 1. The difference is allocation: one family puts their entire budget into a major medical plan. The other allocates $420/month (70%) to major medical and $180/month (30%) to supplemental products at issue-age pricing.
The major medical portion in both scenarios increases at 7% annually — a conservative estimate consistent with historical ACA and group plan renewal trends. The supplemental portion in Scenario B doesn't increase — the premium is locked at issue age and stays at $180/month for all 10 years.
The bars show total monthly premium in each year. The gap between them widens every year as the major medical inflation compounds. By Year 10, the family without supplemental products is paying $151 more per month than the family who structured their coverage with the supplemental strategy — and their full budget is exposed to future increases.
This is a simplified illustration using hypothetical numbers. Actual results depend on the specific plans chosen, the carriers involved, and individual circumstances. The point isn't precision — it's direction. The direction is clear: locking a portion of your spend at issue-age pricing produces a lower total cost over time than concentrating your entire budget in inflating major medical premiums.
Hypothetical illustration for educational purposes only. Assumes 7% annual major medical premium increase and fixed supplemental premium at issue age. Actual premiums vary by carrier, plan, age, health status, and state. Past premium trends do not guarantee future results. Consult a licensed broker for a personalized analysis.
Starting budget: $600/month · 7% annual major medical inflation
The Real-World Proof
Two people. Same monthly budget. One buys a $5,000 deductible major medical plan and stops there. The other raises the deductible to $7,500, takes the ~$100/month in premium savings, and layers in an accident plan, a hospital indemnity plan, and dental coverage. When a claim happens, the difference is dramatic.
February. Broken leg at the mountain. Emergency transport, ER, surgery, orthopedic follow-up. $10,000 in total accident medical expenses.
Major medical did its job on the back half of the bill. No supplemental product offset the $5,000 deductible you paid out-of-pocket — and no dental coverage exists for any work needed this year.
August. Pneumonia requires a 4-day hospital admission. $18,000 in total medical bills. A serious illness — not an accident.
Major medical covered $13,000 — it worked as designed. But the $5,000 deductible comes directly out of your pocket with nothing to offset it.
Plan B's holder paid nothing out-of-pocket on a ski accident and a hospitalization — the two most common reasons people hit their major medical deductible.
The supplemental strategy costs the same as the lower-deductible plan. The higher paper deductible on Plan B was never a real risk — it was insured by the supplemental products.
Plan B also includes dental coverage at no additional total cost. A crown, root canal, or annual cleanings are covered. Plan A provides nothing for dental at any price.
Hypothetical illustration for educational purposes only. Premium figures are representative estimates; actual premiums vary by carrier, age, location, plan design, and health status. Accident medical expense plans cover eligible accident-related expenses up to the plan maximum; specific covered expenses, exclusions, and maximums vary by plan and carrier. Hospital indemnity lump-sum admission benefits are paid upon the first covered day of a qualifying hospital admission for a covered sickness; waiting periods, covered conditions, and benefit amounts vary by plan. Benefit amounts shown are illustrative — work with a licensed broker to size benefits appropriately for your specific deductible. This is not a guarantee of benefits or coverage.
The Five Supplemental Products
Each supplemental product serves a distinct purpose. Together, they address the three things major medical plans handle poorly: dental and vision care that isn't covered at all, the cash flow gap when you hit your deductible due to an accident or hospitalization, and the financial shock of a serious diagnosis. Here's how each one works and where it fits in a well-designed coverage plan.
Dental coverage is the supplemental product most Arizonans already know they need — and most consistently don't have. ACA marketplace plans don't include adult dental coverage. Medicare doesn't cover dental. Group plans often include dental but at benefit levels that leave significant costs uncovered when major work is needed. The gap between what Arizonans spend on dental care out-of-pocket and what they'd spend with a well-structured dental plan is, for most families, the fastest place to see supplemental ROI.
Preventive care (cleanings, X-rays) typically covered at 100%. Basic restorative (fillings, extractions) at 70–80%. Major restorative (crowns, root canals, bridges) at 50% after a waiting period. Annual maximums typically $1,000–$2,500. Orthodontic coverage available on many plans.
A crown in Arizona runs $1,200–$2,500 out-of-pocket. A root canal plus crown can exceed $3,000. An individual dental plan typically costs $25–$50/month. One major procedure per year pays for two to three years of premium at those rates.
Vision insurance is the most straightforward supplemental product and typically the easiest to justify financially. Most plans pay for themselves within a single annual exam and glasses or contact lens purchase. For Arizona families where multiple members wear corrective lenses, family vision plans provide particularly high value relative to their low monthly cost.
Annual comprehensive eye exam (typically $0 copay or low copay in-network). Frames or contact lenses covered with an annual allowance — typically $130–$200 for frames. Discounts on additional pairs, lens upgrades (anti-glare, photochromic), and LASIK through network providers.
An eye exam in Arizona runs $100–$175 without insurance. Glasses with a basic prescription and frames can easily reach $300–$600 at retail. A vision plan costing $10–$15/month often covers both — making it one of the highest-ROI supplemental products available.
Accident insurance pays cash benefits directly to you — not to a provider — when you experience a covered accident. Benefits are triggered by the event: an ER visit after a car accident, a broken bone from a fall, a torn ligament from a sports injury. The cash goes to you to use however you need it: toward your major medical deductible, lost wages, transportation to care, or any other expense the accident creates. This is the product that most directly "insures your deductible" — because accidents are the single most common trigger for hitting major medical out-of-pocket limits.
Benefits vary by plan and event. ER visit benefits typically $150–$300. Fracture benefits $500–$2,500 depending on bone and severity. Hospitalization benefit $1,000–$3,000 per admission. Ambulance benefits, ICU benefits, follow-up care — all paid in cash directly to the policyholder.
Accident plans are issued at age-banded rates that are locked at purchase. A 35-year-old buying an accident plan today pays the same monthly premium at 45 that they pay today. This is the product most directly applicable to the inflation-protection argument — it's pure issue-age pricing with no medical inflation exposure.
Critical illness insurance pays a lump-sum cash benefit upon diagnosis of a covered serious illness — typically including heart attack, stroke, cancer, organ failure, and similar major diagnoses. Unlike accident insurance, which pays per event, critical illness pays a single large benefit (commonly $10,000–$50,000) upon first diagnosis. The policyholder uses it however they choose: to cover the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum on their major medical plan, to replace lost income during treatment and recovery, to pay for treatments not covered by insurance, or to cover household expenses while unable to work.
Lump-sum benefit on first diagnosis of covered conditions. Common benefit amounts: $10,000, $20,000, $25,000, $50,000. Some plans offer tiered benefits based on severity. Benefit is paid regardless of what other insurance covers — it's cash, not a reimbursement.
High-deductible health plans are increasingly common. A cancer diagnosis while enrolled in a $5,000 deductible ACA plan means $5,000 out-of-pocket before major medical kicks in fully — and that's before non-covered costs like travel to specialty centers, experimental treatments, or income replacement during extended leave. A $25,000 critical illness benefit changes the financial reality of that scenario entirely.
Hospital indemnity insurance pays a fixed cash benefit for each day you're hospitalized — regardless of what your major medical plan pays. If your plan has a $2,500 hospital deductible and an indemnity policy pays $500/day for the first 5 days of hospitalization, the indemnity benefit effectively covers your deductible entirely. These payments go directly to you — you can apply them toward the hospital bill, toward lost income, or toward any other expense that hospitalization creates. In combination with accident insurance, hospital indemnity addresses the other primary scenario in which people hit their major medical deductible: the illness-driven hospitalization.
Per-day benefit for hospital admission (commonly $200–$500/day). Additional benefits for ICU admission, surgery, anesthesia, and skilled nursing facility stays. Some plans include admission lump-sum benefits in addition to per-day benefits. Benefits paid directly to policyholder with no coordination with major medical required.
Average hospital stay in Arizona: 4–5 days. A $400/day indemnity benefit produces $1,600–$2,000 in cash benefits for an average admission — enough to cover most or all of a typical ACA plan deductible. Combined with accident benefits for an injury-driven admission, a $5,000 deductible can be effectively covered by $50–$70/month in supplemental premiums.
The Broker Process
This isn't about selling additional products. It's about designing a total coverage picture that's more financially durable over time than major medical alone.
Most consumers encounter supplemental insurance as an afterthought — a checkbox at group enrollment, a mailer from an insurer, or a brief mention at the end of a major medical appointment. That's the wrong way to think about it. The most effective supplemental strategy is designed at the same time as the major medical plan, not bolted on afterward.
A broker who builds supplemental alongside major medical can optimize the full picture: a higher-deductible major medical plan with lower premium, offset by accident and hospital indemnity coverage that effectively insures that deductible, plus critical illness protection for the low-probability high-cost scenarios, plus dental and vision that provide immediate practical value. The total monthly spend may be similar to a lower-deductible major medical plan — but the structure is fundamentally more inflation-resistant because part of that spend is at locked issue-age pricing.
This is the conversation that distinguishes a strategic broker from one who simply places the major medical plan and moves on. The brokers in our network are specifically selected for their ability to advise on the full coverage architecture — not just the health plan.
The broker reviews your current or prospective major medical plan — specifically the deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, and any gaps in coverage. This identifies what supplemental products would most meaningfully reduce your financial exposure.
For most people, the realistic near-term scenarios are an accident or an unexpected hospitalization. The broker sizes accident and hospital indemnity benefits to align with the deductible those events would trigger — effectively insuring the out-of-pocket exposure.
Because these products are priced at issue age, the broker quotes them now — not later. Every year you wait to add an accident or critical illness plan is a year of higher locked-in pricing. The broker shows you the rate differential between buying today and buying in five years.
The broker presents a total monthly premium allocation — major medical plus supplemental — and models what the 10-year cost looks like versus a major-medical-only approach. The inflation-protection math becomes concrete with your actual premium numbers.
Dental and vision coverage are added last — they provide the most immediate day-to-day value and are easy to justify on pure ROI. The broker confirms coverage is available for your Arizona zip code and that preferred dental providers are in-network.
Common Questions
A licensed Arizona broker will review your current major medical plan, identify your deductible exposure, and design a supplemental strategy that protects your budget from medical inflation — at no cost to you.
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