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6 Reasons Why Health Insurance is Important
Medical contingencies typically strike when you least expect them, and can leave you financially distressed. The only way to overcome these unforeseen situations and manage the inflating medical costs is to invest in a good health insurance plan. health-insurance is the shield that enables you to get the necessary medical treatment without worrying about the exorbitant costs. Your insurance policy gives you the freedom to seek good quality medical care without draining your hard-earned savings. Indeed, there are many reasons why health insurance is necessary. Let us assess them one by one.
6 Reasons Why health insurance is important?Listed below are some vital reasons why medical insurance is important:
- Increase in lifestyle-related diseases
With our modern, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, and rising stress levels, our risks of contracting diseases have surged significantly. Conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart conditions, which were earlier deemed age-related, have now become more common than ever. Health insurance provides the necessary financial support and access to healthcare services to address these conditions. It ensures that you can afford the medical treatments, medications, and assistance required to manage and prevent the progress of such diseases.
- Inflating medical costs
A crucial reason why mediclaim is important is that it helps manage the inflating medical costs. While medical technology is advancing with every passing year, the costs of accommodating and utilising the newer technologies are often transferred to patients. As such, a simple surgery that previously costed you ₹200,000 a few years ago, could now cost you ₹500,000. Likewise, the expenses associated with hospitalisation, diagnostic tests, doctor consultation fee, surgeon charges, etc., are also consistently increasing. Without health insurance, managing these inflating costs may be challenging.
- Access to quality healthcare
When you are diagnosed of an illness, you typically want to seek treatment from the best physicians. You may also want to seek admission in the best healthcare facilities. In the absence of health insurance, you may have to compromise with the quality of physicians and healthcare centres. Alternatively, you may choose to bear the treatment costs, but the out-of-pocket costs may be significantly high. However, your health insurance plan, particularly one with a high sum insured gives you the freedom to access the best quality healthcare solutions.
- Family protection
Another reason why health insurance is important is that it helps protect your family's well-being. Whether it is your ageing parents who are prone to contracting illnesses, your dependent children, or your spouse who needs protection from unforeseen health conditions, health insurance covers them all. You can opt for a family floater health insurance plan to manage the medical expenses of your entire family. With the financial security of health insurance, you stay prepared and for any medical emergency your family faces.
- Management of Medical Emergencies
While health insurance plays a pivotal role in helping you manage planned treatments, its role during medical emergencies is unparalleled to anything else. For instance, if a loved one has a sudden heart attack and needs emergency bypass surgery, the costs associated with the same can be high. In most cases, hospitals do not begin treatment until you deposit the sums. Coming up with a lumpsum amount during such, already testing times may be both stressful and difficult. But with health insurance, you can simply admit the patient in a network hospital where treatment can begin immediately.
- Extensive Coverage
A variety of healthcare services and treatments are included in the health insurance coverage. They include hospitalisation, doctor's consultation, medications, diagnostic tests, surgeries, and post-hospitalisation care. The sum insured required to cover these expenses is also generally substantial and depends on your age, healthcare conditions, and other personal factors. With the wide range of coverage and considerable sum insured amount, you can access healthcare services without bearing the hefty financial burden.
You stand to gain the following benefits when you invest in health insurance:
- Safeguards your savings
Medical expenses can quickly deplete your savings if you are unprepared. The inflating cost of healthcare might also cause you to fall into a debt trap. With health insurance, you can safeguard your hard-earned savings while your insurer bears the medical costs. You do not have to worry about losing your corpus, accumulated over the years, over a sudden medical emergency. All you have to do is pay your annual premiums to get continuous, uninterrupted coverage.
- Multiple coverage options While buying health insurance, you have the flexibility to choose from different coverage options based on your needs and budget. For instance, insurers offer individual health plans, family floater plans, critical illness insurance plans, and various other products. You can also customise your policy with a range of additional riders providing all-encompassing coverage. You can check with your insurer for the available coverage options and find a plan that best suits your needs.
- No claim bonus (NCB) Investing in health insurance translates to significant savings. It helps keep your funds intact during medical emergencies. Plus, you can enhance your sum insured at no extra costs with the No Claims Bonus (NCB) Benefit. With the NCB Benefit, the insurer increases your policy’s sum insured by a fixed percentage for every consecutive claim-free year, during the first five years. The maximum NCB benefit you can enjoy is 50% enhanced sum insured over five continuous claim-free years.
- Cashless claim facility Insurers understand the stress that goes with a medical diagnosis. To help you relieve your stress, they offer a cashless claim-settlement facility through their network hospitals. You simply need to seek admission in one of the network hospitals and provide your health card/ policy information. The hospital staff the contacts the insurer’s representative. Together, the duo manage the expenses and other formalities, while you can concentrate on seeking the necessary treatment. This arrangement saves you from arranging funds for treatment, nor do you have to file a reimbursement claim later.
- Tax exemption To encourage investment in health insurance, the Indian government offers tax rebates on health insurance premiums under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act. Thus, you can claim deductions of up to ₹25,000 for investing in health insurance for yourself, your spouse, and your children. Plus, you can claim another ₹25,000 and ₹50,000 in tax rebates upon purchasing policies for your parents under and over the age of 60 years, respectively. Moreover, if you are a senior citizen buying health insurance for your senior citizen parents, you can enjoy annual tax benefits of up to ₹1 lakh.
The above-mentioned reasons and benefits highlight why health insurance is necessary. With health insurance, you can prioritise your and your family’s well-being, and get the necessary coverage to manage medical costs effortlessly. This investment assures peace of mind and lets you combat medical expenses head-on. So, secure yourself and your family with a health insurance plan from SBI General to deal with medical uncertainties that may crop up anytime.
FAQs Do I need health insurance even if I am young and healthy?Yes, you need health insurance irrespective of your age and health condition. This is because you cannot predict when your health may take a turn for the worse. Plus, buying health insurance when you are young allows you to enjoy coverage at lower premiums and leverage the NCB benefit.
Does medical insurance cover pre-existing illnesses?Typically, medical insurance covers pre-existing illnesses after you ride out the waiting period. The waiting period can range from two to four years. You must check the clauses specifying the terms related to pre-existing illnesses before buying your health insurance plan.
Is it okay to have multiple health insurance policies?Yes, you can buy more than one health insurance plans, especially if you have specific healthcare needs that are not covered under a plan or if you have a family insurance plan and want an individual coverage plan. However, you cannot claim the same medical expenses from different policies.
Is undergoing a health check-up necessary before buying medical insurance?You may or may not always need to undergo a health check-up before buying medical insurance. Whether this is required or not depends on the insurer and your personal factors like your age, medical history, etc.
What medical expenses are not covered under health insurance?Health insurance providers typically do not cover the costs associated with outpatient treatments, adventure sports-related surgeries, cosmetic treatments, rehabilitation and respite care, etc.
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.
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Health Insurance
How to File a Health Insurance Claim?
With the rising medical expenses and changing lifestyles, it has become imperative to purchase a comprehensive health insurance plan in today‘s time. Additionally, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has further established the importance of health insurance even firmly. A health insurance policy is the finest way to receive the best medical treatment without burning a hole in your pocket.
Be it an unforeseen medical emergency or a planned treatment, a health insurance policy can always come to your rescue. However, to avoid any last-minute hassle, you must be well aware of the process to file a health insurance claim beforehand. Below is a quick guide on how to file a health insurance claim.
But firstly, let‘s understand what a health insurance claim is.
Health Insurance Claim
A health insurance claim is a request that a policyholder must submit to the insurer for getting the services that are covered in their health insurance policy. Depending upon their convenience, policyholders can either opt for a cashless claim settlement option or reimbursement for the availed medical services.
Cashless Claims
For cashless claims, the insurance provider settles the hospitalization bills directly with the hospital. However, to get the benefits of a cashless claim, the policyholder should be hospitalized only at a network hospital of the insurer.
Reimbursement Claim
In case of reimbursement claims, the policyholder pays for the hospitalization expenses and later requests for reimbursement by the insurance company. The reimbursement facility can be availed at both network and non-network hospitals.
Now that you are well aware of the types of health insurance claims, let‘s understand how to file a health insurance claim
How to File a Health Insurance Claim?
1. Get in touch with the insurance help desk at the hospital
2. Show the ID card of the insured provided by the insurance company
3. The hospital will verify the insured‘s identity and will submit the pre-authorization form to the insurance company
4. The insurance company will then review all the documents submitted and process the claim as per the terms and conditions of the health insurance policy.
5. For reimbursement claims, you will also have to submit original bills to the insurance provider. The insurer will then evaluate the claim and make a payment to the insured. In case the treatment is not covered under the health insurance policy, the claim will be rejected.
Make sure that you have the following documents readily available with you before filing a health insurance claim.
Documents Required to Make a Claim
Valid photo ID cards such as Aadhaar, PAN, and Driving License
Copies of prescription for diagnostic tests, treatment advice, and medical references
Original set of investigation reports
Original hospital and pharmacy bill
Original discharge card or discharge certificate
It‘s always advisable to opt for an insurance company with a high claim settlement ratio and a large number of network hospitals. This makes the claim settlement process completely hassle-free.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. When can my health insurance claim be rejected?
Your claim can be rejected if you file a claim for an ailment that isn‘t covered by your health insurance policy. Moreover, your claim can also be rejected if you fail to submit the necessary documents or file a claim during the waiting period
2. What is the minimum time limit for hospitalization to make a health insurance claim?
You can file a claim if your hospitalization is for more than 24 hours. However, for certain treatments, such as dialysis, chemotherapy, etc., the stay could be less than 24 hours
3. What is claim settlement ratio?
The claim settlement ratio is the ratio of number of claims paid to the number of claims received
Health Insurance
All About Adding Spouse To Health Insurance After Marriage
Marriage brings a lot of changes in your life. Not only does it affect your lifestyle, but it also requires you to switch your investments in a way that are better suited for a family. You will now want to include your spouse to your financial world by adding them as a nominee in your banking accounts and other investment assets. Amidst all these personal and financial changes, do not forget to add your spouse to your health insurance plan. Adding spouse to health insurance after marriage is quite easy and can be done in three ways.
Buying a new family floater plan
If you do not have an existing health insurance plan, now would be a great time to invest your money in a family floater health insurance plan. Health insurance plans for family members cover your spouse, parents, and dependent children. The family floater plan allows you to pay a single premium to cover all named family members for medical expenses.
When buying a family floater plan, do ensure that it offers adequate coverage for you and your family. It is also important to keep in mind that the coverage amount is directly proportional to the health insurance premium you need to pay. This means that a family health insurance plan that offers a sum insured of Rs 10 lakh will require you to pay lower premium as compared to a family health insurance plan that offers coverage of Rs 20 lakh. However, it is advisable to opt for a higher sum insured if you have senior members in the plan.
Adding spouse to insurance after marriage
If you already have an existing health insurance policy, you can extend the cover to your spouse by adding their name to the policy after marriage. Upon adding you spouse, the individual health insurance plan will be transformed into a family floater plan. Since the coverage amount will increase, the premium of the policy will be recalculated. You can also add your spouse to your existing health insurance policy at the time of its renewal. You will need an application form and a few KYC documents like identity proof, residence proof, marriage certificate and photographs, to get this process started. You can easily get the application form from the insurer’s website.
Adding your spouse to the health insurance plan offered by your employer
There are many companies that offer health plans to their employees. These plans usually extend the coverage to the immediate family of the employee. However, this condition varies from one insurer to the other. Hence, it is better to check with your insurance company if they allow you to add your spouse to the existing health insurance plan that is issued by your employer. Here, it is important to remember that the health insurance policies offered by employers are group insurance plans and may, therefore, have certain limitations to coverage. Still, these plans offer a great option for coverage in case you don’t have health insurance of your own.
It is quite important to avail the health insurance cover for your spouse after marriage. This can help the both of you to securely plan your financial future.
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.
Health Insurance
Steps of adding spouse to health insurance after marriage
Marriage is a huge step in everybody’s life. And personal finance has a big role to play for a successful married life. Therefore, it is important to update the financial records, including the health insurance plan, post-marriage.
In case you did not have an individual health insurance policy before the wedding, you can invest in a family floater plan for yourself and your spouse. In case you already have an individual health insurance policy at the time of wedlock, then you do not need to buy another one for your partner. Instead, you can add your spouse to the plan and convert it into a single policy. It is a feasible and simple way of ensuring that you and your partner are adequately covered.
Porting health insurance after marriage is also important. When one of the partners already owns a plan, you simply need to add another partner to the current policy as the spouse. There is no specific rule which specifies who can add the partner. The process of adding the spouse to health insurance after marriage is simple. The one who owns the policy can start this process with the submission of KYC documents such as identity proof, proof of age, photographs and marriage certificate.
The change will come into effect in the next policy renewal by just submitting the additional form and paperwork. Once you do this, the premium will be calculated and pro-rated. It will become a family floater insurance policy that covers all the members of the family for a single premium. You will not have to worry about paying separate premiums for each member of the family. It will cover the entire family at the lowest premium based on the age of the members in the family. Let us take a look at the benefits of a family floater plan.
A major perk of the floater plan is that you can cover yourself and your entire family in one policy. The policy is easier to handle and you do not have to worry about handling separate individual plans
You enjoy additional benefits like a newborn cover, maternity benefits, etc. It will be highly effective for young married couples who are on the road to starting a family. You must ensure that you choose a plan that covers yourself and the spouse and invest in one right after marriage
You must also get maternity cover at the earliest. It has a waiting period between 0 to 4 years and if you buy the cover on time, you will be able to enjoy the maximum benefits
With a family floater plan, you enjoy the same tax benefits under Section 80D as you do on individual health insurance
Many plans come with a reinstatement feature where you enjoy the reinstatement of the entire coverage after it is exhausted in the policy period. This is only applicable to unrelated claims but it is very useful.
If you do not have a policy and are looking to buy one, consider a joint life policy. It will work on the same lines and will provide coverage to your children in future if anything unfortunate happens to the parents. The main reasons couples should think of joint life insurance are premium reduction and waiver benefits. In this case, if one partner dies due to an unfortunate event, the spouse will not only be entitled to enjoy the full sum assured on the cover but will also be absolved of the responsibility of the payment of premium. Alternatively, the spouse may have to pay premiums only applicable for their own cover for the remaining period of the policy.
After your marriage, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety and adequate coverage of your spouse. You must include your spouse in the decision and speak to them about the coverage you wish to buy. Only then proceed with the decision. The right health insurance plan will offer acomplete protection and peace for the future.
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.
Health Insurance
Advantages of Group Health Insurance
As the name suggests, group health insurance is aimed to offer health insurance cover to a group of people, usually employees, and if offered by an employer. It can also be offered to members of a professional association or a society. As compared to individual insurance, group insurance has many benefits for the employee as well as the employer who offers the insurance.
Comprehensive cover: Group health insurance plans offer wide coverage and can be customised by the employer. It comes with many benefits like cashless healthcare services at network hospitals. There is no waiting period which means the employee is covered from day one. Besides personal accident cover, some group health insurance plans offer cover to family members of the employee.
Guaranteed cover: All employees and in some cases their dependants are covered, even if they have existing medical conditions. A group insurance policy doesn't require a separate medical check-up. As long as an employee is working for the organisation offering group health insurance, he or she shall remain covered under the plan.
Low premium: As group health insurance plans are bought for a larger group of people, they offer comprehensive cover at affordable rates. The costs are much lower than individual health insurance plans. Group health insurance plans can be customised as per the employer’s budget and requirements.
Tax incentive for the employer: Besides safeguarding employees from health issues, group health insurance plans also provide tax benefits to the employer. Under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, tax relief is offered to businesses that give their employees the benefit of group health insurance.
Happy employees: When companies offer health insurance plans to their employees, they help retain and attract good talent. A Group Health Insurance plan is a significant part of the employees’ total compensation. A group health insurance plan provides employees with financial security against accident and illness.
Rider options: With a nominal extra payment, employees can take advantage of other additional benefits. The employee can also opt for a corporate plan along with the base plan offered by the employer. The riders may differ from one organisation to another.
Provide your employees SBI General Group Health Insurance
Group health insurance is a very important benefit that makes employees feel like a valued part of an organisation. It helps companies retain as well as attract talent. SBI General Group Health Insurance plans offer multiple coverages: Individual, family floater. It offers wide coverage from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh. The group health insurance plans offer pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses. With SBI General group health insurance plans keep your employees happy.
Disclaimer: SBI General Insurance Company Limited I Corporate & Registered Office: 'Natraj', 301, Junction of Western Express Highway & Andheri - Kurla Road, Andheri (East), Mumbai - 400 069. | The information in the advertisement 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. * ‘Tax benefits are subject to changes in tax laws’ I 'For SBI General Insurance Company Limited IRDAI Reg. No. 144 dated 15/12/2009 | CIN: U66000MH2009PLC190546 | SBI Logo displayed belongs to State Bank of India and used by SBI General Insurance Co. Ltd. under license. | Website : www.sbigeneral.in,Tollfree 18001021111 | UIN: SBIHLGP21330V022021 | ADDIG/20-21/AUG/652
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