Choosing the right health insurance plan for you and your family is a serious decision as health is the only true wealth and it provides you peace of mind and sense of security not only for yourself but for your family too. It assures you that you can always offer them the best chance of getting well just in case anything goes wrong.
Many of us buy health insurance with the sole objective of saving tax but fail to consider the importance of buying a comprehensive medical insurance plan. More than 80 percent of financial crisis originate out of a medical emergency and the same can severely damage one’s finances. Health emergency will not only require funds for treatment but for most of us will also hurt our ability to earn thus hitting us with a double impact. Imagine losing a family member because you cannot afford to give him the best medical treatment. So health insurance is a must today.
With increasing healthcare costs, the reason to get health protection as early as possible is gaining importance because once we get some issues like BP, Diabetes the chances of getting a health cover go low and the cost goes high. There’s nothing more satisfying than to pay a small price and get peace of mind.
The 10 rules to keep in mind when you buy health Insurance –
Tip 1 – You must have an individual health insurance even if your company offers you a corporate group health cover. There could be a possibility that your corporate cover will cease once you leave your job or retire and the company may also decide to withdraw this benefit or choose to leave other family members out of the coverage. If one is suffering from a chronic disease, this becomes more important. You can even take a Super Top up if you can’t afford a full individual Medicalim.
Tip 2 – Choose the right amount as ‘sum insured – While selecting a Sum Insured you need to keep the today’s costs in mind. If you are the one who is putting in a small city then your aim of cover should at least be ranging from Rs.3 to 5 lakh whereas if you live in a metropolitan than your cover should not fall anywhere less than Rs. 5 – 10 lakh. Also, you can move from one insurer to another through porting. Don’t buy a new plan but instead port your plan. With porting your benefits which have been already accumulated in the old plan gets transferred to the new plan. Also remember to keep on increasing your health cover from time to time to take care of the medical inflation.
Tip 3 – Get early protection – Buy a health cover as early in life as possible and definitely before you turn 40. As you are likely to make no or few claims in earlier stages of life, you can get the benefit of no-claims bonus and add up to the original coverage every claim-free year.
Tip 4 – Buy only a health cover which gives you lifetime renewability. Your aim is to have a health cover at older ages when you will have ailments and that protection is possible only if your policy offers lifetime renewability.
Tip 5 – Never buy a health insurance policy which has a claim loading – if you get a critical illness which requires long term cure then with a claim loading your premiums will keep on increasing and soon may become un-affordable. So don’t fall into that trap.
Tip 6 – Buy a policy which gives you a restore limit or super top up just in case you fully utilize your sum assured. This will act as a buffer to cover some unforeseen critical illness which may be very costly to manage like cancer etc. For example a Rs 5 lakh plan with a Rs 5 lakh restore limit almost gives you Rs 10 lakh cover for critical illness at no extra cost.
Tip 7 – Always buy your insurance through a reputed insurance broker with an ability to help you with claims. Remember if you are having a heart attack or have an accident you won’t be in a position to do it yourself or fight the insurer if your claim is rejected without proper justification. Never buy direct and never never buy online. You can use online to select a plan or study features but only buy the health cover though an entity which according to you has the ability to help you with the claim.
Tip 8 – Never lie and hide information in you application form. If you have an ailment please make sure you mention it. Get the broker to help you get a plan which will cover the ailment even after a waiting period. Today in most the plans all preexisting diseases also get covered after 3 to 5 years depending upon the plan.
Tip 9 – Waiting Periods – All health plans have a waiting period for pre-existing ailments. Please see what is the waiting period in the plan that has been suggested to you. Waiting period generally extends from 2-5 years varying from company to company. It is always advisable to opt for a company that offers minimum waiting period. Also there are some companies which offer you coverages with lifetime exclusions. Exclude such companies from your options.
Tip 10 – Buy a plan with no or minimal sub limit. Be especially careful of plans which offer a cap on room rate. You can’t decide the category of the room if you or your family member is carried in an emergency situation to the hospital. Watch out for Sub limits. Sub-limits means that your insurer specifies a limit for an expense and anything above that needs to be borne by you, Room rent, diagnostics and doctor’s fees are the most commonly introduced sub-limits. You need to check the limits while choosing a policy.
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