Healthcare costs in India are rising at an exponential rate. That is the reason it is absolutely necessary to invest in the best health insurance in India to protect yourself against the risk of medical emergencies. Not planning for these emergencies ahead can take a massive chunk out of your savings and push it back by many years. In this blog, you will know The Best Health Insurance in India Will Have These 8 Features.
Despite knowing the importance of best health insurance in India, very few people actually make the effort to understand its features and benefits to make an informed investment decision. That said, here are some features that you need to learn about before you sign up for a health insurance policy.
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Pre-Existing Conditions
A pre-existing illness in health insurance parlance is the condition that exists before you apply for a policy. For instance, if you have a heart disease, diabetes, asthma, or high blood pressure, you need to declare it at the time of buying your insurance. You must check the insurance provider’s list of pre-existing illnesses because most of these will not be covered by your insurer for the first 2 years or more. It is often listed in documents required for health insurance. So be sure to read about it to know more about pre-existing illnesses covered by your insurer and the respective waiting period.
Cost
While this is not the only consideration while purchasing a policy, it is definitely an important one when looking for the best health insurance in India. You can use a health insurance premium calculator to compare plans on the basis of features and prices. Make sure that the plan you eventually buy covers you and your family members adequately. At the same time, it should be affordable.
Moreover, a health insurance premium calculator will also let you see objectively that some policies are more expensive than the others. But if they are both offering similar features, why pay more? That is the reason you must compare
health insurance plans online before buying one.
Disease-Wise Capping
You may have the best health insurance in India that covers you for Rs. 10 Lakhs, but if your insurer has integrated a feature called ‘disease wise capping’, then you will only be able to claim a specified amount from your total sum assured for the treatment of a specific disease. Make sure you are aware of this capping before investing in a policy.
Waiting Period
Usually, a health insurance policy will have a waiting period of up to 4 years on a pre-existing illness. Additionally, many policies will also add a waiting period clause for certain diseases. Needless to say, it is best if your policy does not have this clause. But even if it does exist, make sure that the waiting period is a short one.
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Sub-Limits
Sub-limits refer to capping on certain aspects of your medical bills, such as room rent, ambulance, etc. The insurer will cap a portion of expenses that you are liable to pay if it exceeds the capped amount. Therefore, make sure your policy does not have these sub-limits.
Co-Payment Clause
Some health policies will require the policyholder to pay a certain percentage from the total bill amount. This is known as co-pay clause. Make sure your policy does not have this clause. However, if it does, then it should exceed 10%.
Claim Settlement Ratio
Claim Settlement Ratio is a ratio that indicates an insurance provider’s history of claim settlement. It indicates the percentage of claims that are settled by an insurer in a given year. Therefore, you must look for an insurance provider who has more than 90% CSR.
Maternity Coverage
Even the best health insurance in India may not cover maternity related expenses. That is why you need to check that yours does. There are also policies that offer maternity cover, albeit with a waiting period.
A health insurance plan, also known as Mediclaim, has become a necessary investment these days. If you don’t protect yourself with a policy, you may end up spending exorbitant sums of money to pay for your medical treatment.
Knowing the importance of investing in the best health insurance in India is just a starting point. You also need to make sure that you buy a comprehensive policy that you can afford for a long period of time. With so many options available in the market, it can be difficult to choose the right one. That is the reason you need to know about unique features that you need to compare in order to choose the best policy.
Don’t forget that medical emergencies can arise at any time. Therefore, it is important to have a health insurance policy that can help you manage your finances at such a delicate time. With a robust support of a medical cover, you will be able to access quality healthcare without worrying about the costs.
