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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
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.
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 at all?
Yes. The NEA Better Health program has no medical underwriting: no questions about conditions, medications, or history. It pays $5,000 or $10,000 cash once a year on a hospital admission plus $250 a day for up to 5 days, on top of any other coverage. And to be crystal clear: it is a limited benefit plan, not health insurance, and not a substitute for a medical plan.
What does the hospital admission benefit pay?
A flat cash payment per admission, once per year per covered family member: $5,000 on Premier and Elite, $10,000 on Premier Plus and Elite Plus, plus $250 a day of hospital indemnity for up to 5 days. Paid to you, not the hospital. No deductible, no copay, use it however you want.
Who qualifies?
Ages 18 through 64 (coverage to 65), individuals or couples, kids covered to 26, no medical questions. The one gate: every level except Classic requires the member (and spouse if enrolling) to work at least 25 hours a week. Coverage starts the 1st of the month after you enroll.
What states is it available in?
Fourteen: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Not sold in New York.
Is a hospital indemnity plan a replacement for health insurance?
No, and run from anyone who says otherwise. It converts a hospital admission into cash at the moment your deductible, lost work hours, and regular bills all hit at once. It belongs next to a real medical plan, or as a bridge for someone who cannot get one today and refuses to stand in front of a hospital bill with nothing.
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.
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