Hassle-Free Health Coverage: 24-Hour Coverage

There have been several proposals aimed at 24-hour coverage -- a blend of occupational and non-occupational coverage into a single coverage package, or at least provide a single delivery system or administrative system. Various proposals accomplish this goal to different degrees.

The proponents of 24-hour coverage maintain that the concept offers a number of potential advantages. Most of these relate to possible cost savings -- but a few lie in the coverage area.

The most significant advantages which have been identified are:

- possible reductions in gaps in coverage;

- possible reductions in duplications of coverage for the same loss, which would reduce insurance costs;

- possible administrative savings resulting from combining the claims processing systems;

- possible structural efficiencies and savings resulting from integrating different health care delivery systems.

Although it is generally understood that 24-hour coverage means some combination of occupational and non-occupational forms of health insurance, there is no single definition of what 24-hour coverage means or what it should include.