Can one buy a health insurance contract that does not cover physician visits?

[Peter Gulia]

An individual would like to buy an individual health insurance contract that does not cover physician visits. She pays her physician an annual retainer. Her physician never accepts any payment from a person other than his patient.

Is such an insurance contract available now?

Will such an insurance contract be available a few years from now?

(Assume that a premium tax credit is unavailable. Assume that the individual does not object to incurring the IRC section 5000A tax for failing to maintain minimum essential coverage.)

[GBurns]

I doubt that you will see anything other than what is offered by the Supplemental providers such as Allstate WSD, Aflac and Colonial etc.

Don't these have what you are asking for?

[Peter Gulia]

GBurns, thank you for the helpful idea.

Can an individual buy "supplemental" health insurance if there is no underlying primary health insurance?

[Flyboyjohn]

Starting in 2014 all individual health insurance policies must cover the 10 Essential Health Benefits (including for example maternity and pediatric dental and vision even if not applicabe to a male insured), this is a major piece of the ACA health insurance reform.

Whether specialty insurance excluding physician services will become avialble and can somehow avoid being classified as "health insurance" is beyond my limited knowledge but I doubt it.

[GBurns]

Specified disease, Cancer and other Supplemental Plans are not subject to the EHB requirement and are, in general, exempted from ACA. The supplements do not require primary health insurance but ACA does unless you are exempted. However, there are available ACA compliant "skinny plans" in some states that will provide Minimum Effective Coverage that might satisfy your need.

That should have been Minimum Essential Coverage.

[Flyboyjohn]

I thought all "skinny plans" had to be self-insured, do you have the name and contact info for one that is traditional indemnity and approved by the state insurance regulators? Thanks

[GBurns]

I think Allstate WSD, Aflac, Colonial, Golden Rule and Transamerica all have them.