Health insurance initially seems to be like an unnecessary expense. But its importance is not realized until we or someone in our family falls ill and medical bills start touching the roof.
We may end up compromising on the room in the hospital, sharing it with somebody or even in the general ward just to keep our bills down . The frustration of cash flowing out of hands usually boils down on the healthcare staff who are in the front line interacting with us.
People never shy away in spending on an exotic holiday or on good food or on expensive branded clothes, but somehow health always tends to take a backseat in today’s fast paced life. Today external appearance has become everything and those candid shots at international exotic locations have somehow become parameters of the quality of life.
In the pursuit of a grand life people usually fail to save for these healthcare and personal emergencies and end up cursing their luck and get depressed with their life later.
Health Insurance these days has become a boon and has starting covering most of your medical bills, along with special lifetime events like pregnancies.
Below are Top 10 Benefits of having a Health Insurance in India:
1. You get Tax Benefits on Health Insurance
Usually it is good enough a incentive to start saving for the time of emergencies instead of giving extra tax to the government. You can avail tax deduction on premium paid under health insurance policy as per applicable provisions of Section 80D of Income Tax Act, 1961.
So this is one of the unavoidable reasons to invest in a health insurance policy.
2. You can avail cashless admission
While you are in a middle of a medical emergencies, there is no need to look for cash and borrow from your relatives. These days all big hospitals can admit without cash if they are amongst the network hospitals of your purchased health insurance.
3. Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses
Many health insurance policy cover even the pre and post hospitalization benefits which usually includes Medical expenses incurred, immediately, 30 days before and 60 days after hospitalisation.
4. Domestic Road Emergency Ambulance Cover
Reimbursement is also given for the expenses incurred on availing an ambulance service offered by a hospital / ambulance service provider in an emergency condition.
5. Maternity Benefits
All you newly married and going to get married couples, this ones for you. You can have a pregnancy what you always dreamt of, if you plan ahead and buy a health insurance policy with maternity benefit. This includes reimbursement for medical expenses incurred for both normal delivery and cesarean section. Usually the waiting period for maternity cover is 3 years. This cover shall be limited to 2 deliveries. Some policies cover both Prenatal and Postnatal expenses also.To bbe eligible for this you and your spouse should bein the same policy.
6. Your newborn is also covered once he/she is born
The new born child can also be covered under few policies. In few deliveries, the newborn my need initial supportive medical care before he/ she is strong enough to sustain. This coverage is for initial NICU and other medical expenses during hospitalisation for a maximum period upto 91 days from the date of birth of the child. This cover will be provided only if maternity cover is opted.
7. Convalescent Benefit
When you are ill or injured and in hospital, usually the economical liabilities tend to increase rather than decrease. Som health policies give you a benefit amount if you are admitted for consecutive 10 days or more (eg Rs 10,000) once during the policy period.
8. They also give you expenses for Nursing care at home
Some amount (Lets say Rs 3,000 per day for 15 days) is also given post hospitalisation for the medical services of a nurse at your residence.
9. Your wellness and preventive health checkups are also covered
All the expenses pertaining to routine health checkups and for other wellness and fitness activities taken by you will be reimbursed by few health policies.
10. You can also opt to receive Outpatient treatment expenses
Reimbursement for the medical expenses incurred as an Outpatient department (OPD) can also be covered in some health insurance policies.
Below I have listed down few frequently asked questions, this for a general understanding, specific health insurance criteria vary from policy to policy. This you should properly verify by checking the policy guide before purchasing your health insurance.
What all does Health Insurance Cover?
All expenses pertaining to in – patient hospitalisation such as
- Boarding and nursing expenses
- Intensive care unit charges
- Surgeon’s and doctor’s fee
- Anesthesia
- Surgery charges
- Theatre charges
How many times can I get free health check ups?
Usually a customer is allowed for a Free Health Checkup at a designated centre. The
coupons are provided to each Insured for every policy year, subject to a maximum of 2 coupons per year for floater policies
How can I get Cashless hospitalization?
You can avail a cashless hospitalisation at any of the network hospitals of the insurer. A list of these hospitals / providers will be available on the website of the insurer.
Can I get reimbursement later, in case I did not apply for health insurance during admission?
Yes you can, but it is always better to go through the cashless route, as most of the paper work and administrative work is done by the hospital third party administrator staff. This saves you from the trouble you doing all the submission work yourselves.
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