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Health Insurance for Truck Drivers

The truck driver’s profession is one of the most dangerous that exists in America, and yet we desperately need many of them to transport our goods form one area to another. An MSN Money article rates truck drivers as having the 10th most dangerous profession, with 25 deaths per every 100,000 workers. Naturally, we normally think about the constant dangers of spending many hours on the highway as the biggest danger. But truck drivers have more to worry about than just wrecks: they can also develop health problems based on the nature of their work. Health insurance is a much-needed expenditure for truck drivers, although it can be an expensive one. The decision to choose the best types of health insurance policies or plans is important, whether you’re a small business owner who drives the truck yourself or the owner of a big trucking company who needs to cover many employees.

 

Health Insurance for Truck Drivers: Health Problems

According to one website, a group of Japanese medicine researchers found that many truck drivers face several medical problems, including: “ringing ears, neck pain, low back pain, ulcers, hypertension, back injuries and hemorrhoids.” Another study found that many truck drivers suffered sleep disorder or apnea. The stress of the job coupled with the amount of hours or shifts the truck drivers worked combined to make the profession extremely unhealthy. It also doesn’t help that drivers often have to sleep on the road as opposed to a comfortable bed at home.

 

Health Insurance for Truck Drivers: Options

Like any other type of insurance, you can choose a high deductible plan to keep the premium low, while keeping in mind that you may need to be able to fork out a good chunk of money should you need it. Insurance for truck drivers is similar in many ways to generic health insurance: with possible coverage for dependants, co-pays and high deductible policies with health savings accounts. But there are options that target truck drivers and their dependants.

For example, the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association, or OOIDA, offers a plan for independent truck drivers. The OOIDA’s purpose is to provide for the needs of professional truck drivers, from health care to policy issues. Members of the OOIDA have a wide range of potential benefits, including free prescription pharmacy cards, short term disability plans, dental plans, group life insurance, vehicle insurance, vision care and identity theft management and medical benefits plans. The medical benefits can even cover dependants, and you can get plans that don’t have pre-existing exclusions or height or weight questions.

Truck drivers can seek options that offer health savings accounts and plans that include doctor co-pays. Another possibility is the Limited Medical Plan, which can cover specific services such as lab work, surgeries and office visits, and can cover the driver regardless of how bad of a medical history he or she may have. Another potential resource for those searching for a specific plan is Truck Drivers Health Insurance Direct, which offers plans with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, Employers Health Insurance, Assurant Health, World, Guarantee Trust Life, Team Corp, and several other carriers, according to its Web site. Truck drivers who work for a decent-sized company or employers can look into group insurance deals to try to reduce costs.

 

Regardless of whether a truck driver chooses to find a specially tailored plan for his or her profession, every truck driver should try to have some sort of coverage. To receive a free health insurance comparison quote, type in your zip code at the top of the page. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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