If you have kids at home, you know their medical care can be expensive. It is not uncommon for a childhood accident to result in an ambulance ride and ER visit, and maybe a broken bone, lacerations, broken teeth, and so on. Childhood illnesses can also be costly, especially for ongoing treatment.

After your child's injury or diagnosis, you may be left paying hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars out of pocket for health insurance deductibles, copays and coinsurance. These events often come at the worst possible time. When a parent is dealing with their child's serious injury or illness, the last thing they should worry about is high medical bills.

And yet, this is the case for a lot of families. A U.S. Census study found that households with children under age 18 were more likely than those without children to carry medical debt (24.7% with kids vs. 16.5% without kids).1 Families with children under age 5 are affected the most: over a quarter of households in which the youngest child is under age 5 carry medical debt.¹

By enrolling in discounted group coverage for themselves and their children through their employer, parents can help close these out-of-pocket financial gaps in health care costs and prevent medical debt from piling up.

Here are a few types of voluntary coverage that are especially helpful for parents who have children at home.