Do I need a Hospital Indemnity Plan if I have Medicare Advantage? What if I am hospitalized twice in the same year?

Question

Rebecca Bilbrey · Accepted Answer

A hospital indemnity plan to work with your Medicare Advantage plan is a good idea. Your Medicare Advantage plan will have daily copays (or at least per-stay copays) and the hospital indemnity plan can pay those for you. Most policies will pay more than once in a year as long as you have been out of the hospital for a set amount of days (differs per policy) before needing to go back in the hospital. Hospital indemnity policy premiums are usually inexpensive.

Answered by Rebecca Bilbrey on April 17, 2025

Broker Licensed in TX, AL, CO & 6 other states

Answered by Rebecca Bilbrey Medicare Insurance Agent

William Gray · Answer

It's not necessary but you could face pretty high out of pocket costs.

Advantage plans have deductibles and copays. The indemnity plan pays you a set amount by plan

Antonio Espino · Answer

1. Do you need a Hospital Indemnity Plan...No. You don't need it at all. But it would cover the gaps in your Medicare advantage plan. Hospital Indemnity will cover the hospital stays as well as outpatient services, and emergency room visits. You can add other coverages like a cancer policy as well. 

But do you need it...no. Will it help...Yes.

2. If you have a hospital indemnity plan and you are hosiptalized twice, then the policy will pay you (however the way the policy was set up. I.E per day or lump sum). If you don't have a HI plan, then you just pay the Medicare advantage copays.

Mal Varlack · Answer

If you don’t want to expose yourself to potentially paying the Max out of pocket on a plan, or exposing yourself to paying a $200 some odd daily skilled nursing benefit after the 20th day of rehab or other copays that may hurt financially and emotionally to pay; then YES. I would highly recommend taking out a Hospital Indemnity Plan to offset expenditures you are subjected to pay in the Medicare Advantage Plan. Namely the 2 expenses I mentioned but there are others: cancer meds administered in hospital, as an outpatient or doctors office; ambulance rides are not free either. Hospital Indemnity Plans can be structured to cover some or all of the out of pocket costs of these as well. Even if you go twice a year. They pay you directly and some are what are called Guarantee Issue. That means depending on the carrier and your age you don’t have to answer health questions to qualify.

Answered by Mal Varlack on April 17, 2025

Agent Licensed in FL

Answered by Mal Varlack Medicare Insurance Agent

Mary Salmon · Answer

A Medicare Advantage plan requires Medicare beneficiaries to pay copays for many services including in-patient hospitalization. A hospital indemnity plan can provide financial assistance by paying you a specified amount for each day you are admitted to the hospital, up to the maximum benefit period you have chosen when selecting your hospital plan.

Answered by Mary Salmon on April 23, 2025

Broker Licensed in TX & OK

Answered by Mary Salmon Medicare Insurance Agent

Bob Nunn · Answer

There are some identifiable gaps in a MaPD . The first days in hospital can add up. Please look at your policy and see the benefit limits and you can get a small policy to fill those in. One strategy could be for a mapd with a give back benefit and use a portion of that to fill in the gaps to limit your out of pocket expenses.

Answered by Bob Nunn on May 2, 2025

Agent Licensed in FL, AL, AR & 36 other states

Answered by Bob Nunn Medicare Insurance Agent

Steven Lovell · Answer

It's not required but a Hospital Indemnity Plan can be a valuable addition to Medicare Advantage. It can help cover out-of-pocket expenses during hospital stays. If you're hospitalized twice in the same year, a Hospital Indemnity Plan can still provide benefits, as it typically pays a set amount per day of hospitalization, regardless of the number of hospitalizations.

Answered by Steven Lovell on May 11, 2025

Agent Licensed in GA, CA, FL & 7 other states

Answered by Steven Lovell Medicare Insurance Agent

Jaye Maxx Alexander II · Answer

You don't need a hospital Indemnity Plan, but I strongly encourage you to have one. With an MA or MAPD plan, you will have costs associated with your hospital stay that can place a huge financial burden upon you and your family.

Answered by Jaye Maxx Alexander II on April 21, 2025

Broker Licensed in NC, AK, AL & 47 other states

Answered by Jaye Maxx Alexander II Medicare Insurance Agent

Alexander Lehn · Answer

A hospital indemnity plan is not required if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, but many people choose to have one. These types of plans pay a fixed amount to you if you are hospitalized so you can have any co-pays covered without worry. A cost-benefit analysis can be done to determine if the cost of coverage over 12 months is worth having to offset the potential costs associated with being hospitalized. Many people on a fixed income prefer to have this coverage so the costs are built into their budget and they don't have unexpected large bills associated with their healthcare, just a low monthly cost for the indemnity coverage.

Answered by Alexander Lehn on April 22, 2025

Agent Licensed in NV, CA, FL & TX

Answered by Alexander Lehn Medicare Insurance Agent

Angelique Solomon · Answer

Great question!

Do You Need a Hospital Indemnity Plan with Medicare Advantage?

Yes—it can be a smart add-on.
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans often have daily hospital copays, sometimes up to $300+ per day for the first few days of each stay. A hospital indemnity plan pays cash directly to you for each hospital day, helping cover:
   •   Copays
   •   Deductibles
   •   Lost income
   •   Travel or caregiver expenses

What If You’re Hospitalized Twice in One Year?

A good indemnity plan:
   •   Pays per hospital stay, not just once per year
   •   Resets after a 60-day no-hospital period (varies by plan)
   •   Can cover multiple admissions, even for the same condition

Bottom line: If your Medicare Advantage plan has high inpatient copays or if you’re concerned about unexpected hospital costs, a hospital indemnity plan adds a layer of financial protection.

Want me to review your current plan and show options?

Do I need a Hospital Indemnity Plan if I have Medicare Advantage? What if I am hospitalized twice in the same year?

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Do I need a Hospital Indemnity Plan if I have Medicare Advantage? What if I am hospitalized twice in the same year?

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