NEED TO SEE BEFORE BUYING HEALTH INSURANCE
WAITING PERIODS
- Accidental cover from day 1.
- 30 days waiting period: Any disease/illness/condition or treatment mentioned in 2 year exclusion list w [...]
A top-up plan is a regular health insurance policy that gives protections regarding the hospitalization costs but only after a threshold limit, known as deductible, is crossed. This base health insurance policy to make a claim up till the deductible amount and use your top-up plan for any payments over that.
People don't trust private health insurance companies for all the right reasons. Bernie Sanders
Health insurance is a type of insurance coverage that protects an individual or a group of people against medical and surgical costs against payment of regular premiums.
Mounting healthcare and surgical costs are a major strain on household budgets. Like any other insurance, mediclaim or health insurance is the best possible protection you or your family may have against any medical (usually hospitalization or surgical) costs. Health insurance also makes medical help affordable for everyone.
Mediclaim or health insurance makes you eligible for tax benefits on premium paid under 80D of the Income Tax Act.
Given the current healthcare scenario, there is no right age to get medical insurance – the earlier, the better. Children can be added to either parent’s mediclaim policy. Many health insurance providers also have special plans for senior citizens and old age related health costs.
Most health insurance providers offer customized mediclaim or health plans. They are broadly of 4 types –
Accident-related medical costs are generally covered by all health insurance plans or may be taken as an add-on rider.
Health insurance costs vary depending on the following factors –
When a person signs up for a health insurance, the insurance company ascertains premium based on a number of criteria. Once determined, the company usually charges the same premium for that age group. The older a policy holder gets, the more the premium amount is. In the meantime, if there is a claim in any year, the premium may be hiked upon policy renewal. This is called load premium. The insurance company may sometimes offer a discount on premium, if no claim is registered for a number of years.
Mediclaim health insurance policies usually do not cover the following –
Planned hospitalization – Submit a written application with the TPA. Include doctor’s recommendation for hospitalization, medical records, and planned expenses. Once approval comes through go ahead with hospitalization. Notify TPA and make a claim through the hospital to avail cashless benefits.
Unplanned hospitalization/Accidents – Notify TPA within 24 hours of hospitalization. Submit a notification statement with name, policy number, and known medical details. The insurer is likely to clear your eligibility details within a day or two. Stake cashless claim through the hospital to avail cashless services or pay cash and stake claim with all bills and records at the completion of treatment.