Post-Pandemic we all have realized how important it is to take care of ourselves and our families. Health insurance today is a necessity and without it, one will find it hard to afford emergency medical expenses. Here’s what you should know before taking a mediclaim policies for your family.
What are the commonly available Health Plans?
- Individual health plans
- Family floater plans
- Senior citizen plans
- Disease specific plans
- Critical illness plans
- Top-up and super top-up plans
How to choose Health insurance plan for your family?
While buying a health insurance plan for your family, make sure you choose it with utmost care. You need to consider various aspects while you decide which plan to go with.
Here are some crucial points to consider:
1. Look for an adequate sum insured
You need to consider a sum insured that will be sufficient to cover the expected medical expenses for all your family members, keeping in mind that there has been a continuous increase in medical cost and medical inflation and could continue to increase over the years.
2. Ensure comprehensive coverage
A best health insurance policy is the one that will ensure it has all the necessary coverage benefits. Also make sure those coverage benefits are relevant to your requirements. Such as, a newly married couple must opt for a health plan with maternity benefit which will ensure the related costs of child birth would be covered by the plan and save them from facing any financial burden.
3. Opt for Affordable Premiums
A high sum insured also results in a high premium but it is equally important that it suits your pocket as well. It would be wise to go for a policy that has reasonable coverage benefits and affordable premiums. With time, you can review your plan and increase cover accordingly with the rise of income, family size, and requirements.
4. Renewal Age
It is important to choose a plan that offers lifelong renewability if enrolment has been done in the early stages of life. When you buy a health plan, make sure to check for how many years the plan will cover you or whether it offers limited renewability or not. Why? Because you will require a health plan the most during the later years of age.
5. Check the Network of hospitals covered
It is also necessary to check if your local hospitals are tied up with the insurance company as the benefit is allowed only if you get admitted in such a hospital. Look for the list of hospitals in your city on the insurance company’s website.
6. Check waiting period, Inclusion and Exclusion List
Pre-existing illnesses are those which you or any family member already suffers from when buying a new health insurance policy. For such, there is a waiting period before the cover is allowed for them. If you or any family member suffers from a pre-existing condition, look for plans which have a low waiting period.
Also check the inclusions & exclusions terms and conditions of the policy documents to know what is covered by the plan and what is not.
7. Do a critical comparison
Multiple insurance companies offer many mediclaim policies. Every company has its own pricing policies so compare on the bases of
- The coverage that they offer
- The premium that they charge
Compare quotes online then choose a plan which offers a comprehensive scope of coverage at affordable premiums.
8. Reputation of Insurance Company
Before you decide to close your deal with the insurance agent, take a step back and consider evaluating the reputation of that insurance company for settling insurance claims timely and percentage of approval/rejection. Some information pertaining to these factors are available on the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority site and on the internet.
Conclusion
Mediclaim policies offer mental peace and a stress-free process for those times when we need money to take care of our health and that of our loved ones. It helps in financial planning as it reduces recurring costs for preventive care. Hence, it is important to choose a plan after careful analysis to select the most suited coverage amount and plan.
