Health insurance policies for kidney ailment are for those who have been diagnosed with the said disease and are under dialysis. They will be regarded as health insurance policies with pre-existing illnesses. The terms and conditions and the waiting period for such policies are significantly different from regular policies. Also, the premium amount for these policies is much higher.

It needs to be noted here that since kidney ailment is categorised as a critical disease, not all insurance companies provide such specific health insurance policies. However, if you have been diagnosed with kidney ailment after buying the policy, the same would be treated as a regular policy.

In health policies meant for kidney ailment, waiting period, co-payment and sub-limit clauses are extremely important.

Waiting period is the specific time period from the date of policy purchase during which the policyholder is not entitled to certain claims. For pre-existing illnesses, the waiting period is high, usually 2 to 3 years.

Also, since kidney ailment is a critical disease, the insurance company might put a co-payment and sub-limit clauses. Under the co-payment clause, the insurance company covers a part of the medical expenses incurred and the rest is covered by the policyholder. The sub-limit is a cap that insurance companies put on a particular procedure. Like in the case of kidney ailment, the insurance company can put a sub-limit on dialysis or on certain transplant procedure.

It is extremely important to notify your health insurer about your pre-existing illnesses. For a critical ailment like kidney disease, it is all the more important as almost all health insurance companies provide cover for such cases. First, confirm with your health insurance company whether they cover kidney ailments or not.

The health insurance company might deny coverage for such ailments if it has not been informed by the insured while buying the policy.

A policyholder should know beforehand the benefits offered by the health insurance policy he intends to buy. In case you have a critical ailment like kidney disease it is of utmost importance.

For example, for kidney patients, one of the basic treatments is dialysis. Now, for such a procedure you might not need to stay in the hospital. So, dialysis is usually covered under day-care treatment. Check the day-care treatment covered by your policy.

Also, for kidney disease treatment, it is important to check the list of hospitals and transplant centres covered by the health insurance company as all hospitals do not provide such treatments.

Check other conditions such as the one for in-patients hospitalisation and pre- and post- hospitalisation before buying the policy.

The income-tax benefit on health Insurance policies for kidney patient: Like other health insurance policies, if you buy such specific policies, you are eligible for income-tax benefit under the section 80D of the Income Tax Act .

Disclaimer: The above information is indicative in nature. For more details on the risk factor, terms and conditions, please refer to the Sales Brochure and Policy Wordings carefully before concluding a sale.