At a glance
What Rhode Island requires
Rhode Island permits fixed indemnity only where it is genuinely supplemental. Under R.I. Gen. Laws 27-50-3(t)(4)(ii), the coverage must be provided under a separate policy, with no coordination of benefits, and it must pay benefits regardless of whether you have other coverage. That anti-substitution framing is central to how the state treats these products.
Rhode Island also imposes an ongoing certification requirement. Carriers of specified-disease, hospital-confinement, and limited-benefit products must file an annual certification — by March 1 — attesting that the product is marketed as supplemental and not as a substitute for major medical coverage (27-50-3(t)(6)). This is enforced by the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC), with the Department of Business Regulation (DBR) Insurance Division handling licensing.
Because fixed indemnity is an excepted benefit, it sits outside ACA rules. (At the federal level, a 2024 fixed-indemnity consumer-notice requirement was vacated by a court in December 2024, so it is not federally required; an earlier 2014 individual-market notice still applies.)
The core thing to understand is how it pays: fixed indemnity pays a predetermined cash amount when a covered event happens — for example, a set amount per day in the hospital — no matter what your treatment actually costs. That's very different from major medical, which pays a share of your actual bills.
How fixed indemnity works in Rhode Island
Fixed indemnity and related excepted benefits come in a few forms (described as coverage types, not specific products):
Each pays a fixed cash benefit you can use toward bills, deductibles, or everyday costs during a covered event. In Rhode Island these products must be sold as separate, supplemental coverage that pays regardless of your other insurance — they cannot be structured to coordinate with or stand in for major medical. As an independent, carrier-neutral brokerage, we don't push any single insurer — and we'll be clear that fixed indemnity works best alongside a comprehensive plan, not instead of one.
How to get coverage here
Fixed indemnity isn't sold through the health insurance marketplace, and it isn't tied to Open Enrollment — you can generally apply for it year-round, directly from an insurer or through a broker, subject to the product's terms and Rhode Island's requirements.
For the comprehensive coverage that fixed indemnity is meant to supplement, Rhode Island runs its own state-based exchange, HealthSource RI, where ACA plans have an annual Open Enrollment (typically each fall through early winter) and Special Enrollment Periods for qualifying life events like losing job-based coverage, moving, or having a baby. Rhode Island has expanded Medicaid, so it's worth checking your eligibility there as well.
What it costs
We don't quote premiums here — prices depend on your situation — but the cost of fixed indemnity in Rhode Island is driven by:
Because fixed indemnity pays fixed amounts rather than a share of your bills, the real question is how much cash it pays for the events you're most concerned about — and remember it's supplemental, so weigh it alongside the cost of the comprehensive coverage it's meant to support.
Fixed indemnity insurance is a supplemental, limited-benefit (excepted-benefit) product. It pays fixed cash amounts for covered events regardless of your actual medical costs, is not major medical coverage, and is not minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act. It does not cover the full range of essential health benefits and is not a substitute for a comprehensive health plan.
GetHealthPlans.com is operated by MTG Insurance Agency, an independent, carrier-neutral brokerage. We do not issue insurance and are not a government agency or the health insurance marketplace. Regulatory details on this page reflect Rhode Island law and Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner guidance as of the last-reviewed date and can change; confirm current terms and the specific product's approved form before you enroll.