Hospital Indemnity Insurance
Enroll at work to help cover unexpected hospital expenses
A hospital stay, even when planned, is a big disruption—especially when you realize all the expenses medical insurance doesn't cover. MetLife Hospital Indemnity Insurance helps give you a sense of control when the hospital bills just don't stop.
Receive cash benefit payments. The cash payments are sent directly to you for qualifying events.
Use payments on anything, health-related or not. How you spend the payment is up to you—whether that's medication, follow-up appointments, childcare, or everyday expenses.
Coverage for a variety of hospital visits1
- Hospital admission due to illness or injury2
- Hospital admission for certain scheduled procedures (like joint replacements)
- Being placed under physician observation for 20 hours or more3
- An additional payment for each day of your hospital stay after you've been admitted.
Hospital Indemnity Insurance FAQs
Hospital stays can be expensive—and often unexpected. Even the best medical plan may leave you with out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles, copays, out-of-network charges, or non-covered services.4
Hospital indemnity insurance provides financial support to help cover any expenses, so you can worry less about the impact on your budget.
Yes. You can enroll yourself and your eligible family members during open enrollment, as long as you are actively at work. In some states, you may be required to have medical coverage, and dependent eligibility may be subject to certain plan provisions. See your Certificate for details.
No. This coverage is guaranteed, regardless of your health,5 as long as you are actively at work. There are no medical exams or health questions required, making enrollment simple and hassle-free.
If you're hospitalized due to an illness or injury, Hospital Indemnity Insurance provides direct cash benefit payments to help cover costs associated with your stay, including:
- Hospital admission benefit: Paid for an inpatient hospital admission3 or for a hospital stay lasting more than 20 hours under physician observation.3
- Hospital stay benefit: After admission, the plan pays a fixed daily benefit for each day you remain hospitalized.
Other benefits can include:
- Admission to an Intensive Care Unit
- Intensive Care Unit Stays
- Inpatient Rehab Unit Stays
Coverage may vary by plan.
Hospital Indemnity benefit payments are based on the amounts outlined in the policy and are paid directly to you. The plan pays a cash benefit when you're admitted to the hospital, followed by an additional daily benefit for each day you remain hospitalized.
For example, a Hospital Indemnity plan might pay $1,000 after a covered hospital admission related to an illness or injury, such as a heart attack. The plan may also pay $200 per day for each day you remain hospitalized after admission. These benefit payments are sent directly to you and can be used as you see fit, such as to help cover out-of-pocket medical expenses or everyday costs while you recover.6
Benefits are paid directly to you—not to doctors, hospitals or other healthcare providers. Payments are made regardless of what your other insurance covers, and you can use the money however you choose, from medical expenses to everyday bills.
Yes, you can take your coverage with you if you change or leave employers.7
Have confidence in your coverage
“Unexpected healthcare expenses can really affect the financial plans we make each year. This policy helped us recover some of those expenses when we make all efforts to live a safe and healthy lifestyle.”
-Accident Participant, 2026
“The claim process was easy, documents needed were straightforward, payment was timely. Being a cancer patient is hard & everything about care is complicated and expensive. This was the easiest process for any claim of any kind I've dealt with.”
-Critical Illness participant, 2026
“I had an unexpected hospital stay and the benefit was so helpful. This was an excellent customer service experience. The rep was informative and the process quick & easy to follow.”
-Hospital Indemnity participant, 2026
“The claim process was easy, documents needed were straightforward, payment was timely. Being a cancer patient is hard & everything about care is complicated and expensive. This was the easiest process for any claim of any kind I've dealt with.”
-Critical Illness participant, 2026
“This was the easiest claim process I have completed!”
-Critical Illness participant, 2026
“MetLife Hospital Indemnity Insurance has really helped us. We are a young couple in our 30s but in 2025 my husband was hospitalized 3 times… I feel confident and somehow secure that MetLife will pay me and I can use that to help pay my hospital bills.”
-Hospital Indemnity participant, 2026
Protect your journey
See how hospital indemnity insurance gives you more cash for the recovery process.