Importance of having a Health Insurance Policy

Here is why a Health Insurance Policy is essential for you:

A report released by the World Health Organization on non-communicable diseases (NCD) (commonly known as lifestyle diseases) paints a depressing picture of India. 26 percent of Indians aged between 30 and 70 could die from one of the four major non-communicable diseases – diabetes, cancer, stroke and respiratory diseases. The death toll was nearly 2 million in 2012 & the number keeps on adding every year. Medical experts have assigned sedentary lifestyle & physical inactivity to be the leading cause of death. Owing to the rising healthcare costs & inflationary pressures, the cost of treatment of such diseases may run into lakhs of rupees.

So, let me elaborate what the medical experts mean by “sedentary lifestyle & physical inactivity”.

Round the clock you are tied up with official deadlines & keep challenging your limits. You give priority to target accomplishments over balanced lifestyle. You skip meals, ignore workouts & push through late-night work schedules. As a result, your chances of falling sick & getting hospitalized increase manifolds. As you know, these days health care comes at a premium price. To make sure you don’t forego necessary medical treatment due to the inadequacy of funds, health insurance has evolved as a necessary expense.

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Health insurance refers to an insurance contract between you & the health insurance company in which the insurer agrees to provide you with a specified health insurance cover at a particular “premium” subject to policy terms and conditions. The health cover may include expenses of hospitalization, fees of the surgeon, prescription drugs, surgery, etc. subject to overall ceiling of sum insured (for all claims during one policy period).

With the opening up of insurance sector for private players, numerous health insurers have entered the Indian healthcare segment. But still, according to latest IRDA Report, less than one-fourth of the population has health insurance coverage.

Some of the terms used in health insurance policy are as follow:

1. Cashless Hospitalization

It is a specialized service under which your hospitalization expenses are paid off by the insurer directly to the authorized network hospital on the approval of the Third Party Administrator (TPA). Here, you need not make any cash payments of hospitalization expenses to the hospital.

2. Reimbursement

In this scenario, after availing treatment, you make a cash payment of hospitalization expenses directly to the hospital. Afterwards, you may claim reimbursement for the expenditure incurred by submission of relevant documents to the TPA.

3. Third Party Administrator

It is a specialized health care company/agency/organization authorized by IRDA to work as linking pin between the insured & the insurance company especially at the time of cashless claims processing & settlement. These agencies also provide value-added services like Ambulance services, 24-hour toll-free help lines, Medicine supplies, etc.

4. Health Card

It is an identity card which, comes with a Health Insurance Policy, is used to avail cashless hospitalization facility at the network hospital. It contains contact numbers of TPA who can be called to seek clarification of queries.

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5. Network Hospitalization

A hospital which has an agreement with the health insurance company to provide Cashless treatment is called a ‘Network Hospital’.

6. Non-Network Hospitalization

Non-network hospitals are those with whom the insurer does not have any agreement. If you seek treatment in these hospitals, then initially you shall pay for the treatment and later may claim as per reimbursement procedure.

Now, let me take you through some reasons as to why a comprehensive health insurance policy should form indispensable part of your financial planning:

 

 

1. Comprehensive family health cover

When the going gets tough, then health insurance gets you going. A “family floater” plan is a type of health insurance which provides coverage for you & your dependent family members. It is more efficient than getting a separate policy for each family member. Usually, benefits are available in the form of hospitalization expenses cover, free health check-ups, the inclusion of pre-existing diseases, etc.

2. Tax Benefits

Apart from covering for medical expenses, health insurance also helps you avail tax benefits. Under Section 80D of Income Tax Act, 1961, you may claim a tax deduction of an amount of up to Rs. 25,000 towards the health insurance premium paid to cover health of self, spouse & dependent children. Additionally, the premium amount of Rs 25,000 given to cover health of parents can also be claimed as a tax deduction. If either of your parents is a senior citizen, then the deductible premium limit goes up to Rs. 30000. Following table shows details of Section 80D:

3. Better & timely medical care

Uninsured people have found to receive lesser medical care as compared to the insured ones. Especially, a chronic disease like cancer is diagnosed at a stage when it becomes malignant. Usually, either they do not receive preventive care when it is required urgently or even if they receive, it is of no use because crucial time is already elapsed. Moreover, they are less likely to receive rehabilitative care as compared to the insured ones.

When you & your family get enrolled under a health insurance policy, you can access top-notch health care providers, specialist doctors, hospitals and clinics at the right time & a reasonable cost.

4. Longevity

A study has found a correlation between health insurance coverage & longer lifespan. The risk of death was 25% higher in the uninsured people as compared to the insured people. The tendency to end a treatment before complete recovery was greater in uninsured individuals who lowered their health status significantly.

Thus, if you have health insurance coverage, then chances of living a longer & healthier life increase significantly.

5. Financial Stability

When any health insurance policy covers you, you get specialized medical services at a nominal price. In the absence of such coverage, you may have to shell out more to access the same quality of medical services. Moreover, you may have to divert those funds which you have earmarked for some other financial goal to pay medical bills. Such a diversion on a continuous basis could hurt your financial stability & impede accomplishment of overall financial goals.

Thus, you can secure your financial stability as well as achievement of financial plans by getting your health risk covered under health insurance.

6. Support for medical emergencies

Many times, there are emergencies wherein the insured does not have enough time to withdraw cash & then get hospitalized. Health insurance comes handy in such a scenario as it provides the facility of “cashless hospitalization” wherein you can directly get admitted to a network hospital on showing your health card. The bills would be settled directly by the insurance company on your discharge.

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7. Peace of mind

The risk related to the inability to handle medical emergencies causes stress. Stress is the reason for all ailments as it weakens your immune system. Health insurance coverage provides various kinds of benefits that enable you to handle difficult situations confidently. You can, thus, live a peaceful & relaxed life.

Final Words

Both lack of health insurance and inadequate health insurance may lead to various financial & medical problems. Corporate insurance policies cease to cover risk in the event of job changes or layoffs. Hence, it is important to buy an additional health cover for yourself & family. Health insurance is a function of your annual income, average medical expenditure, family history of NCDs, the number of dependents, lifestyle habits, place of residence, occupation, age, etc.

Suppose if you have a corporate insurance policy, then you may buy an additional cover of Rs 1 lakh each for yourself, spouse and kids. If you don’t have an employer-sponsored cover, then you may hike the cap to around Rs 2 lakh and then buy a family floater for Rs 6 lakh further subject to factors mentioned earlier.

Also read: 12 Points to remember before buying Health Insurance

Moreover, if you belong to a higher age bracket, then you may need to shell out a higher premium. These days the underwriting processes of the health insurers have become stringent & rejection of proposal may happen on account of numerous reasons. My advice to you is to disclose all your facts truly & fully & insist on medical examination from a reputed laboratory. Get a health check-up done on your own to rule out minor illnesses. Finally, understand the terms, conditions & exclusions of the health insurance policy clearly & settle for a plan that meets your requirement completely.

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Disclaimer:

This article should not be construed as investment advice, please consult your Investment Adviser before making any investment decision.

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About the author

KishorKumar Balpalli, believes that financial literacy and discipline is the key to one’s financial freedom. KishorKumar is a Certified Financial Planner, Personal Finance Blogger & the Founder of myMoneySage.in an award-winning Wealth Management platform. myMoneySage simplifies investing for individuals and amplifies business growth for Registered Investment Advisers by leveraging Artificial intelligence and machine learning. The AI of the machine plus the intellect of the human advisor enables comprehensive & client-centric advice at a fraction of the cost of a conventional adviser.

myMoneySage.in is an award winning personal finance platform. It helps you aggregate all your personal finance accounts like FD, Equity, Mutual Funds, PPF EPF, NPS including, Credit Cards & Loans etc. It's one place where you can track, plan and invest seamlessly. myMoneySage.in empowers you to invest in zero commission direct plans of mutual funds thereby helping you generate higher on investments. The best part is it comes with a lifetime Free plan.


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  • Sagar Tiwari says:

    The information shared in this blog is very informative. Well, buying the health insurance plans is very necessary for the financial stability and many benefits as stated above in the article. For best insurance policies and plans, visit: https://www.maxlifeinsurance.com/

  • James Roi says:

    Excellent info about life insurance!
    Life insurance policies can come across as very useful for families that have had to tragically lose one of their members. Buy going in for a comprehensive life insurance plan, the insurer ensures that at least immediate needs of his family are taken care of through the policy.

  • Rashmi Tyagi says:

    Thanks for sharing the importance of health insurance policy.I agree with all the points mentioned about health insurance. No one knows when the emergency will arise so its better to make investments to be ready for them.
    I have taken Exide Life Health plan for my parents.

  • pooja desai says:

    The chance of you or your dependents (spouse, children and parents) needing medical care can come all of a sudden, and with the cost of hospitalization and medical expenses going through the roof, it will become difficult to afford quality treatment on time; hence the need for a health insurance: http://bit.ly/2UxMJzN

  • Anshul says:

    Yes, as the diseases are increasing day by day we should buy health insurance family for us and our family. It really helps in billings, sudden situations happen and more. We also should prefer it. For me and my family I have purchased from Digit Health Insurance. I am satisfied with it.

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