Mini-medical plans are controversial. On the one hand, they provide some coverage for emergency care, and in many cases are better than nothing. On the other hand, they often come with extremely low annual benefit payout limits that make them nearly useless if a person needs major medical treatment.
Mini-meds are typically offered by low-wage companies, and administered by major health insurance plan providers like Cigna and Aetna. A Senate committee is currently investigating the issue; the probe has been expanded from McDonald’s to other employers. The issue is that although policyholders are usually saddled with high medical bills, the plans are sometimes promoted as full-fledged comprehensive health care.
Although the healthcare reform law bans annual and lifetime limits, dozens of mini-med providers have been granted exceptions from that provision. Mini-meds are also subject to a lower medical loss ratio, which determines the percentage of premiums that must be spent on medical care.
Tags: group health insurance, health care, health insurance, healthcare reform, mcdonalds, Mini medical, mini-med
