Accidents are a leading cause of medical expenses for employees. Even with major medical insurance, they’re often on the hook for copays, deductibles, diagnostic fees and more, then there’s additional non-medical costs like child care, transportation, pet care and other expenses while they recover.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to add a wide-ranging accident insurance policy to a benefits package. We recently enhanced our scheduled benefit accident plan to help bring some financial peace of mind to more individuals after an accident. Here’s why that matters.
The most common accidents
The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that in 2023, more than 25 million nonfatal injuries were reported by emergency departments in America.1 Among the most common causes:
- Falls
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Overexertion
- Poisonings
- Animal bites and stings
These categories include a wide range of accident types and severity. Symetra's accident policy features broad definitions for covered accidents and doesn’t require a specific level of severity. For example, in the U.S., approximately 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year.2 If someone covered under our plan sustains an animal bite that results in injuries requiring medical treatment, regardless of the severity, we’d pay the claim.
Expanding coverage for families
The Pew Research Center estimates nearly a quarter (23%) of U.S. adults—especially Gen Xers in their 40s—are part of the “Sandwich Generation” that is responsible for caring for young children or young adult children while also helping their aging parents physically and/or financially.3
With this family dynamic in mind, our product team added optional riders for multigenerational households to broaden the plan’s impact. For example, the parental caregiver benefit extends the primary insured’s core coverage to parents or grandparents living with them, and the child care benefits help cover the cost of new child care services after a parent is injured.
Considering the prevalence of falls among elderly adults and child sports injuries, coverage for dependents may prove especially valuable for employees in the Sandwich Generation. More than 670,000 surgeries are performed every year to repair broken bones, making it the fifth most common surgery performed in the U.S.4 Symetra's accident plan pays double for a broken bone that requires surgery, and it provides benefits for hospital and ICU stays. We take a holistic approach by paying an initial accident benefit for every approved claim, plus benefits for emergency room visits, diagnostic tests, medical equipment, follow-up visits and physical therapy sessions.
Going beyond physical injuries
Being in an accident—especially motor vehicle accidents—can have broader impacts than just physical harm. The National Library of Medicine reports that nearly half (49%) of road traffic accident survivors develop PTSD, which can affect their work, school and other social factors.5
In addition to physical injury, our expanded accident policy covers PTSD to help employees and their families recover from mental distress caused by accidents. We also include benefits for alternative medicine like chiropractic care and acupuncture.
More coverage, more benefits
These are just a few examples of how expanded accident coverage with broad definitions can add important benefits employees will value. To learn more about our enhanced accident insurance plan, visit our webpage or contact your Symetra representative.
1 “Top 10 Preventable Injuries,” National Safety Council, accessed March 19, 2025.
2 “Animal Bites,” World Health Organization, January 12, 2024.
3 “2021 American Trends Panel,” Pew Research Center, October 2021.
4 “The 10 Most Common Surgeries in the U.S.,” Healthgrades, September 10, 2021.
5 “Incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Road Traffic Accident,” National Library of Medicine, accessed April 29, 2025.
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