However, less than half (44 percent) of the respondents are aware that many employers now provide supplemental group insurance options to help employees pay for out-of-pocket expenses and other costs associated with an accidental injury, hospital stay or critical illness.

“Employers recognize that health care costs have become burdensome to their workers and their families, and it’s important to remember that these cost increases have impacted employers’ bottom lines as well,” says Terry Holloway, an employee benefits advisor and executive vice president with insurance broker Cobbs Allen. “Supplemental group insurance benefits are a cost-effective solution for both employers and employees. We have seen a significant increase in employer interest in these and other voluntary benefit platforms in the past five years, along with innovative enrollment solutions from insurance carriers.”

In fact, 70 percent of those on employer-sponsored health insurance are offered benefits in addition to their health plan. The most common benefit offered is life insurance (54 percent), followed by disability insurance (38 percent) and a health savings account (36 percent). A quarter (24 percent) say their employer offers accidental injury insurance, while 15 percent have access to critical illness insurance and just 9 percent have access to hospital indemnity insurance.

Nearly one-fifth (18 percent) are unaware of the additional benefits offered by their employer and 12 percent say their employer offers none of those benefits, although most take advantage of additional benefits offered by their employer.

Fully 75 percent of those offered life insurance take advantage of it. About two-thirds (64 percent) also take advantage of accidental injury insurance, if offered. Other popular coverages that the respondents in group plans take advantage of, when offered, include hospital indemnity insurance (59 percent), disability insurance (54 percent), HSAs (52 percent) and critical illness insurance (47 percent).

“The rising cost of health care has driven many employers to offer supplemental group insurance products, often in conjunction with a health savings account,” says Elias Vogen, a director with Securian. “This combination can be cost-effective for both employer and employee.”

The survey was conducted online from June 8 to June 12, and a total of 1,010 survey respondents answered an initial screener question on the source of their health insurance. The rest of the survey was answered by a base of 573 respondents who participate in a health insurance plan provided by their employer or their spouse’s employer. The sample was weighted by demographics such as age, gender, race, region and income “to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the national population age 18 and older.”