Health insurance can no longer simply cover doctor's visits and hospital stays – as the world of both disease management and recovery advances, health insurance companies are being tasked with not only taking care of their clients during routine checkups and large emergency events, but over the long term and with far more diligence than they have in the past. One way in which the “new” healthcare assists many Americans is by providing the option for what is known as aftercare insurance. This type of insurance is meant to cover an individual after a treatment or procedure, but before they have regained their full strength and functioning, and it consists of a number of different stages.

The first stage of aftercare insurance occurs as soon as the patient is released from the hospital. If they require out patient care at a managed facility, or ongoing physical or mental rehabilitation, aftercare coverage may be used to offset the cost. Second, when outpatient care has ceased, aftercare will follow a client back into their normal routine and provide periodic treatments such as drug courses and regular check-ups in addition to any other specialized treatments that may be required. In many cases, the insurance company will liaise with a customer's family doctor in order to determine a course of treatment and potential cost. Ideally, aftercare will slowly dwindle until such a time as the patient has recovered fully, at which time it will cease.

Aftercare insurance is subject to the same types of restrictions that are found in typical healthcare insurance. Limitations and exclusions apply – for example if the ongoing treatment required is for a injury obtained during the commission of crime, most health plans will not be obligated, or volunteer, to pay any of the associated costs. Annual and per-treatment limits will also apply, in addition to minimum deductibles and even co-payments. While the nature of the care will be different, more specialized, and recurring, the way in which the treatment is accessed and the procedure by which it is paid for will not change. Aftercare insurance is a way to treat the whole body rather than simply the initial causation, but it is still subject to all of the common insurance rules and regulations.

For many, the cost of paying for aftercare on their own would result in near bankruptcy. Physical therapy and prescription drug purchases alone can easily top thousands of dollars per month. As a result, aftercare is rapidly becoming a viable add-on option for health insurance plans, and one that can not only save money, but help get a patient out of the bed and back into their own home and life where they belong.