Some Americans are getting help covering their out-of-pocket costs through special insurance policies offered by their employers, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Here are four things to know.
1. As an increasing number of people face high insurance deductibles, employers are offering workers so-called gap insurance, also known as supplemental or voluntary insurance.
2. The insurance provides extra coverage for things like hospital stays, unexpected accidents or treatment for acute illnesses such as cancer or heart disease, according to the report.
3. WSJ reports the policies, which include hospital-indemnity insurance, accident insurance and critical-care insurance, help cover the cost of high deductibles or co-pays for treatment.
4. Shawn Jenkins, CEO of Benefitfocus, which provides benefit-administration technology to employers, told WSJ open enrollment data for 500 large employers that use the company's software showed 36 percent offered at least one type of gap insurance in 2016. For 2017 coverage, that share has risen to nearly 50 percent, he told the publication.
For more on this story, read Rachel Emma Silverman's full report here.