If you want to be an assistant to a medical practitioner, you might be wondering what are the benefits of being a medical assistant. No Medical assistants are people who help doctors, nurses, or other healthcare workers with their tasks. They provide support and assistance to these professionals.
Their main tasks include organizing appointments and preparing exam rooms for each patient visit.
Keep reading to learn about the advantages that medical assistants get and how much of those advantages are taken care of.
Working in healthcare has a lot of special advantages for employees, besides the usual benefits.
See: Medical Assistant Skills: 15 Highly-rated Resume Worthy Skills
Now, let’s see the most common advantages given to medical assistants:
1. Medical Insurance
A survey by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) found that almost 74% of full-time medical assistants have important health insurance.
The Affordable Care Act says that all important health insurance plans must pay for regular check-ups and shots to keep you healthy.
In simple terms, most big health insurance plans pay for medicines, going to the hospital, having surgery, going to the emergency room, and getting urgent medical attention.
Health insurance usually does not pay for any medical expenses until you have paid a certain amount of money called a deductible. The typical amount that families have to pay before their insurance kicks in is about $3,868 in the United States.
2. Dental Insurance
A survey conducted by AAMA found that almost 83% of full-time medical assistants also get dental coverage.
Although dental insurance provided for medical assistants typically does not include coverage for advanced orthodontic treatments such as braces, it does cover two teeth cleanings per year and one set of X-rays. Some dental insurance plans might cover small procedures like getting a filling in your teeth.
3. Paid Time
The AAMA found that almost 83% of medical assistants get paid time off. This means that medical assistants who work full-time can take time off from their job and still get paid for that time.
PTOs typically last for one to two weeks per year. However, the longer someone works for a company, the more it increases.
3. Prescription Discount
According to the AAMA, 40% of full-time medical assistants get discounts on medicine. However, not all prescribed medicines can be treated in this manner.
4. Vision Insurance
Full-time medical assistants also get vision insurance as an added perk.
The AAMA survey found that 78% of people working full-time have vision insurance. This insurance usually pays for glasses or contact lenses and eye check-ups.
Although this insurance does not pay for surgeries to correct vision, it usually pays for visits to the doctor, eye check-ups, and the cost of glasses or contact lenses.
5. Sick Leave
The AAMA survey found that 58% of medical assistants receive sick leave from their employers. This is usually something different and in addition to the paid time off that is given.
The FMLA says that employer must give workers up to 12 weeks off from work to take care of their own health or family members, and they won’t lose their jobs.
Although the FMLA lets workers take time off from their job and still keep their positions, employers aren’t obligated to provide payment for these breaks. Some employers pay their employees a regular salary even when they are not able to work because they are sick.
6. Death or Accidental Dismemberment
Many bosses also offer insurance in case you have an accident and die or get seriously hurt. According to the AAMA, more than half (54%) of medical assistants who work full-time receive this benefit.
Even though this is like life insurance, the things you need to qualify are more detailed. In order to get money after a bad injury or death, you have to meet these rules.
Typical accidents like choking or a car crash are usually included in AD&D insurance coverage. But, this benefit does not include coverage for health problems like a stroke or heart attack.
7. Disability Insurance
A survey by the AAMA found that 64% of full-time medical assistants get disability insurance as part of their benefits.
This insurance usually doesn’t pay for medical bills, but it does give money to make up for lost salary if you become disabled unexpectedly. This could involve things like not being able to see properly, having serious injuries, or not being able to hear properly.
These disabilities don’t always have to happen at work. Usually, businesses provide benefits for short-term disabilities for up to two years, while long-term disabilities might be covered indefinitely.
