Home › Guaranteed-issue hospital cash
Guaranteed-Issue Hospital Cash: Real Options When You've Been Told No
Written and reviewed by Dick Tracy, licensed health insurance broker (NPN 20414610) · Published August 31, 2026 · Updated October 15, 2026
If you have been declined for coverage, priced out of it, or you are walking around with a deductible you could never actually pay, here is a piece most people never hear about: a guaranteed-issue program with zero health questions that pays $5,000 or $10,000 cash when you are admitted to the hospital, plus $250 a day for up to 5 days, on top of any other coverage you have. It is the NEA Better Health program (National Employers Association membership with insurance underwritten by Everest Reinsurance Company), from $40 a month. Now the sentence that half the internet forgets to write: this is a limited benefit plan, NOT health insurance, and it is not a substitute for a medical plan. It does one job, hospital cash, and it does that job for people nobody else will cover. Available in 14 states, enroll online in minutes.
I'm Dick Tracy, an independent health insurance broker licensed in 25 states with 80+ carriers behind me. I spend most of my week building real medical coverage for individuals, families, self-employed folks, and small businesses. But some people cannot get there today: the condition is too fresh, the budget is too tight, or the work situation is in flux. My rule is simple: nobody should stand in front of a hospital bill completely naked. This page is the honest version of a product that gets sold dishonestly all the time. I educate, you decide.
What "guaranteed issue" means here (and why there are no health questions)
Guaranteed issue means exactly what it sounds like: no medical underwriting, no health questionnaire, no exam, no digging through your history. Diabetes, a heart condition, cancer in remission, whatever the marketplace or a private carrier held against you, this program does not ask. Ages 18 through 64 can enroll (coverage runs to 65), kids are covered to 26, and the only real gate is that for every level except the bare-bones Classic membership, the primary member (and spouse, if enrolling) needs to be working at least 25 hours a week. Enroll by the last day of the month and coverage starts the first of the next.
The levels and what they pay
| Premier | Premier Plus | Elite | Elite Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital admission cash (1x per year, per covered member) | $5,000 | $10,000 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| In-hospital indemnity | $250/day, 5-day max | $250/day, 5-day max | $250/day, 5-day max | $250/day, 5-day max |
| Accident-only package (AD&D, accident medical, ER and doctor visit cash) | Not included | Not included | Included | Included (higher limits) |
| Individual / month | $40 | $75 | $50 | $90 |
| Family / month | $85 | $160 | $100 | $190 |
Dues include the admin fee. Every level also carries the membership perks: unlimited 24/7 doctor and nurse consultations by phone with no copay, cell phone screen protection up to $600 a claim, identity restoration, 25% vet savings, free federal tax filing, and a discount marketplace. There is also a $20 Classic level that is perks-only with no insurance, which I mention for completeness, not as a recommendation. The benefits are paid to YOU, not the hospital: no deductible, no copay, no network. A hospital admission triggers the check whether the stay is for sickness or an accident, and it pays in addition to any other coverage you carry.
Is hospital indemnity insurance worth it? Run the math, not the adjectives
Here is the arithmetic I run with people before anyone signs. Premier costs $40 a month, which is $480 a year. One hospital admission pays $5,000 in cash, plus $250 a day for up to 5 days, so a five-day stay puts up to $6,250 in your hand. Now hold that against your own numbers. A 2026 ACA plan can legally leave one person holding up to $10,600 of in-network cost sharing (the federal limit set by CMS, explained on my page on comparing two plans), and plenty of private plans carry deductibles in the thousands. If your deductible is bigger than what you could write a check for this month, the layer is worth a hard look. If you have a low out-of-pocket maximum and real savings, skip it and keep the $480. It also usually fails the test if your employer already offers a group version for a few dollars a month, or if this $40 would crowd out real medical coverage. The Federal Reserve found 37% of adults could not cover a $400 emergency in cash, and this product exists for the week that number shows up wearing a hospital bracelet. Price the level against your deductible and decide like a detective, not a hopeful.
What this is NOT (the section that keeps you off the phone with a scammer)
So who is it actually FOR? Three honest fits. One: someone with real health insurance and a big deductible, who wants a hospital stay to arrive with a check instead of a bill. Two: someone who cannot pass medical underwriting anywhere and is waiting for the next open enrollment window, who wants something between themselves and a hospital admission in the meantime. Three: a working family whose budget genuinely cannot carry a full medical premium this year, choosing partial protection over none, with eyes open. If you are shopping for actual medical coverage, start with my four buckets guide or the free quiz, and talk to me before you settle.
Where it's available and how to enroll
Online enrollment through my link covers 14 states: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. It is not sold in New York (fixed indemnity products live in states with private underwriting). One more honesty note: NEA here is the National Employers Association, a business association around since 1961. It is not affiliated with the teachers' National Education Association.
1. Click the red button. It opens the enrollment page with my agent ID attached, so I become your broker on record.
2. Pick your state and level (Premier, Premier Plus, Elite, or Elite Plus), individual or family.
3. Answer the work question (25+ hours a week for these levels). No health questions follow, because there are none.
4. Enroll by the last day of the month and coverage starts the 1st of the next month.
🏥 See the levels and enroll online
Common questions about guaranteed-issue hospital plans
Is there hospital coverage with no health questions or medical underwriting?
Yes. The NEA Better Health program (a National Employers Association membership with limited benefit insurance underwritten by Everest Reinsurance Company) has no medical underwriting. Nobody asks about your conditions, your medications, or your history. It pays $5,000 or $10,000 cash once per year on a hospital admission for sickness or accident, plus $250 a day of hospital indemnity for up to 5 days, on top of any other coverage you have. To be crystal clear about what it is NOT: it is a limited benefit plan, not health insurance, and it is not a substitute for medical coverage.
What does the hospital admission benefit actually pay?
One admission per covered family member per year triggers a flat cash payment: $5,000 on the Premier and Elite levels, $10,000 on Premier Plus and Elite Plus. On top of that, the in-hospital indemnity pays $250 per day for up to 5 days per stay. The money is paid to you, not the hospital, with no deductible and no copay, and you use it however you want: the medical bill, the mortgage, the babysitter. It pays in addition to any other insurance you carry.
Who qualifies for a guaranteed-issue hospital plan?
Ages 18 through 64 (coverage runs to 65), individuals or married couples, with dependent children covered to age 26. There are no medical questions. The one real requirement: for every level except Classic, the primary member (and spouse, if enrolling) must be working at least 25 hours per week. Coverage starts the first of the next month when you enroll by the last day of the current month.
What states is the Better Health program available in?
Online enrollment covers 14 states: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. It is not sold in New York. This kind of fixed indemnity product lives in states with private underwriting rules.
Is a hospital indemnity plan a replacement for health insurance?
No, and run from anyone who says otherwise. The policy itself states it does not constitute comprehensive health insurance coverage and is not a substitute for medical insurance. What it does well is a different job: it converts a hospital admission into cash at exactly the moment your deductible, your lost work hours, and your regular bills all hit at once. It belongs NEXT to a real medical plan, or as a bridge for someone who currently cannot get or afford one and refuses to walk around with zero protection.
Is hospital indemnity insurance worth it?
It depends on the job you need done, and I say that as the broker who talks people OUT of coverage when the math doesn't math. It is worth a hard look if your deductible is bigger than what you could actually pay this month, if you cannot pass medical underwriting anywhere else, or if a hospital stay would stop your income the same week the bills start. The Federal Reserve found 37% of adults cannot cover even a $400 emergency in cash. It is probably NOT worth it if you have a low out-of-pocket maximum and real savings. Price the level against your deductible and decide like a detective, not a hopeful.
What are my options if I've been denied health insurance?
First, know that a private-plan decline is not the end of the road: ACA marketplace plans cannot turn you down for health history during open enrollment or after a qualifying life event, and I help people structure that the smart way. Second, guaranteed-issue programs like this one accept you regardless of health, today, for the hospital-cash piece. The right answer is usually a sequence: something guaranteed-issue now so you are not naked, then a real medical plan at the next window. That two-step is exactly the kind of thing I map out on a free call.
If you want me to check whether you can actually qualify for full medical coverage first (people are wrong about being uninsurable more often than you would think), grab a call. No hard sell, ever. I educate, you decide.
Grab a time right here
Pick a slot below and it lands on both our calendars. No phone tag, no hard sell. I educate, you decide.