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Benefits Beyond Work

Healthcare

Coverage Beyond the Workplace

Healthcare coverage needs can extend beyond the workplace. A job change, loss of eligibility, change in hours, retiring before Medicare eligibility, family change, or other life event can create new healthcare coverage questions. Benefits Beyond Work helps individuals and families understand what coverage already exists, what may continue, and which personal healthcare options may be appropriate for what comes next.

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When it may need attention

Healthcare questions usually start with a change.

Not everyone in these situations needs replacement coverage. Some coverage continues, some can be continued by choice, and some needs to be replaced. The point of this list is to recognize when the question is worth asking.

  • Changing jobs

    A new role may start coverage on a different date than the old one ends, and the plan design may not be the same.

  • Losing workplace coverage

    Coverage may end because of a job change, a reduction in hours, a plan change, or a change in who is eligible.

  • COBRA or other continuation decisions

    Continuation may be available depending on the plan and the situation. It is one option to compare, not automatically the only one.

  • Part-time or seasonal work

    Some roles don't meet the plan's eligibility requirements, even when the work itself is steady.

  • Losing benefit eligibility

    Eligibility can change for an employee or for a dependent without the job itself changing.

  • Retiring before Medicare eligibility

    Leaving work before Medicare eligibility can create a coverage period that needs its own answer.

  • Growing a family

    A birth or adoption can change who needs to be covered and when the plan allows a change.

  • Divorce or separation

    Coverage that was shared across a household may need to be reconsidered for one or more people.

  • Self-employment and other situations

    Some households have no traditional workplace plan available to start with.

Start here

Understand what already exists before replacing it.

The strongest first step is rarely a new product. It's a clear picture of the coverage that's already in place, what the plan allows, and the timing involved.

  • Existing workplace coverage
  • Continuation options under the plan
  • COBRA where applicable
  • Spouse or partner coverage where available
  • Other coverage already in place
  • The date coverage actually ends
  • Which household members are affected

What applies depends on the plan, the employer, the situation, and the state. Plan documents and the plan administrator are the authoritative source for what a specific plan allows.

Personal healthcare options

Coverage types that may apply — where appropriate and available.

Which of these is appropriate depends on the household, the situation, and what's already in place. Not every option is right for every person, and product, carrier, producer, and state availability may vary.

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Accident
  • Critical Illness
  • Hospital Indemnity
  • Cancer
  • Other supplemental health coverage

What isn’t part of Healthcare

Life insurance and longer-term protection are considered under Legacy, not Healthcare. Medicare has its own eligibility rules and timing and is considered separately.

Explore LegacyExplore Medicare

The household view

One household rarely needs one identical answer.

Household members may differ in coverage, eligibility, age, employment situation, and transition dates. We don't assume the whole household needs the same solution.

  • Different coverage today

    One household member may be on a workplace plan while another is not covered at all.

  • Different eligibility

    Eligibility rules can apply differently to an employee, a spouse or partner, and a dependent.

  • Different ages

    Age can change which options are available to a person, including whether Medicare is relevant at all.

  • Different employment situations

    One person may be changing jobs while another's work is unchanged.

  • Different dates

    Coverage may end on different dates for different people, which changes the order of decisions.

Before you replace it

Some workplace benefits can continue.

Where workplace benefits are ending or changing, continuation or other options may exist depending on plan provisions. That's worth confirming before assuming coverage simply stops. Continuation is a transition consideration inside Healthcare — not a separate solution area.

Questions worth asking the plan

  • What exactly is ending, and on what date?
  • Does the plan offer continuation, and for how long?
  • Who in the household is covered under it today?
  • What has to be elected, and by when?
  • What is the cost if coverage continues?

How we help

Education first, in the order the decisions happen.

We help you understand the coverage picture so a decision can be made with context — not under pressure.

  1. 01Understand what existsStart with the coverage already in place, for each person it applies to.
  2. 02Identify what is changingConfirm what is ending or changing, and when.
  3. 03Consider the householdLook at who else the change reaches before comparing options.
  4. 04Review relevant optionsConsider the personal healthcare options that may be appropriate and available.
  5. 05Take the next stepMove forward with a licensed professional when it's time to decide.

Financial Relationship Manager

You don’t have to work out everything a change affects on your own. A Financial Relationship Manager helps you understand what is changing and what may need attention — so you don't have to figure that out on your own first.

If you'd rather start with what's changing

Related life changes.

Healthcare questions often arise when something changes at work, at home, or across the household. Explore life changes that may affect coverage and the options worth considering.

The other connected areas

One change may involve more than one area.

Depending on what's changing, one or several of these may need attention. They are considered together only when they're relevant to your household.

The best time to understand your healthcare options is before coverage ends — not after.

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