Which Health Insurance to Buy?
This article contains things that you must consider while buying Health Insurance in the most simplified way or a checklist for Health Insurance.
A. Say NO to policies having:
1. Co-Payments
2. Caps on room rent
3. Disease Wise Sub-Limits
B. Seek the following in your policy:
1. Low Waiting Period for Withdrawals from the purchase
2. Pre and Post Hospitalisation Cover (30 to 60 days)
3. Restoration Benefits (Must)
4. Day Care Treatment Coverage
5. No Claim Bonus (More than 10% and mostly above 35%)
6. Super Top-Ups from the Same Insurer
7. Cover for Alternative Treatments (Ex: Ayush Coverage)
C. Options that if included might increase your premiums:
1. Free Precautionary Health Check-Ups (every year or two yearly)
2. Maternity Benefits
3. OPD Consultation
4. Domiciliary Expenses
However, there are some subjective reasons where the above checklist might vary. To further give you some insights keep reading below.
A
1. Co-payment
- Consider only if someone is old with the pre-existing disease. In which case premiums will come down drastically.
2. Caps on room rent policy
- Take only if you are ready to be in a room as mentioned in the policy
B
3. Ask for restoration benefit
(Always ask for restoration benefit for a combined or individual policy)
Make sure you read the fine print on how the cover is restored each time you be set.
4. Seek coverage for treatment that lasts less than 24 hrs.
This covers expenses if at all they occur such as your Appendicitis operation, Lasik surgery or any other that takes under 24 hours but costs you.
6. It is always good to ask for SUPER TOP UPS (from the same insurer) and compare options available
Super top-ups will come with their own limitations such as low to missing no claim bonus, there is no refill or recharge benefit on Super Top Up once used (only base cover is refilled), different cashless networks of hospitals, etc.
Note: Policy tenure must be the same i.e. buy the top up mostly on the same day with same tenure as your policy.
7. Cover for alternative treatments
Ayush coverage is good to have feature unless you will ever need hospitalization in a government-certified Ayush facility.
Any other coverage can be considered if you think is available to take and you might need it.
C
1. Free Precautionary Health Check-Ups
It is a good thing to have while not every policy offers it and should not be a deal-breaker as premiums are higher.
It costs around 1000 to 1500 per year for these checkups.
2. Maternity benefits
- Not all insurers cover this but make sure if you have it, you are not paying extremely high premiums for it.
- Better not opt if making premiums costly.
3. OPD benefit (Doctor Consultation)
- Do not opt
- Better to not go for it if you pay 1000 per year or less, else you think twice.
- While OPD benefits look good on paper, it’s possible that you will end up paying high premiums. In most cases, it’s more cost-effective to not opt for this.
4. Domiciliary Expenses
They are the expenses for treating you at home in pandemic as we experienced, some disease that can be better cured form your house or no bed in hospital situation. Not very necessary but if you are getting it at low cost or at the cost you can afford only then take it.
As a bonus I have got a health insurance policy suggestion:
Max Bupa - ReAssure
This is suggested by Recipe by Finology, which is created by Pranjal Kamra.
Do check it out.
Also, if you need any help starting out selecting your insurance, do check out Ditto which has been started by the Best Financial Newsletter in India named Finshots, which I personally love and hence, promoting.
Thank you for reading. Consider clapping for the article out of 50 if you liked it.
Until next time, share this blog with your friends, family, and well-wishers who should or want to buy health insurance.
Suggestions are welcome.
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Peace.
