HOW CAN YOU INCREASE YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE?
Our health is a key issue for the majority of us. From elderly parents to newborn children, medication and hospitalization play a crucial role in safeguarding a family’s health. While age-associated ailments are nearly unavoidable, today’s youth are not immune to health risks, especially those related to their lifestyle. Rising medical expenditures and prescription prices can destroy your funds if you aren’t prepared. There are ways to increase your health insurance coverage.
Health insurance protects you and your family if you or a member of your family needs to be hospitalized. Regular health insurance plans are divided into two categories: Individual and Family Floaters. Individual health insurance is a sort of insurance designed specifically for a single person’s needs. A Family Floater plan, on the other hand, is a Health Insurance policy that covers the entire family and allows any member of the family to use the policy’s maximum (insurance amount or sum assured). Going without health insurance could be perilous, given the unpredictability of medical crises and rising healthcare costs.
For a long time, you and your family may have been covered by health insurance. Because you have not had any medical crises, your original Sum Insured (basic sum insured plus cumulative bonus) may have increased over time. Great! Do you, on the other hand, believe that your present medical coverage is adequate given rising medical prices and the introduction of expensive new treatments?
A bypass surgery at a reputable hospital nowadays can cost upwards of Rs 3 lakh. A medical emergency can cost a few lakh rupees all at once, leaving you wondering if your health insurance policy has kept up with medical inflation!
Keep in mind that medical inflation in India is predicted to be around 15% per year while choosing a health plan online. With inflation in mind, you’d need two layers of insurance to be safe from medical emergencies. As a result of new technologies, medical care is becoming less invasive and more expensive. The cost of super-specialty equipment and robotics is, of course, passed on to patients.
How to increase your health Insurance coverage?
You have a few options if you fear your current Sum Insured will not be enough to pay rising healthcare expenditures. The first option is to get a new Health Insurance policy or increase the Sum Insured on your existing policy to a sufficient amount.
A new health plan with a similar Sum Insured will almost probably cost you more than your previous coverage due to your advanced age and general inflation. You may be required to pass a medical exam to acquire new coverage.
Top-up Plan
A TOP-UP PLAN is a better choice. For a reasonable monthly charge, a top-up plan is designed to increase your health insurance coverage. However, there is a “threshold level,” often known as the “deductible” amount, which must be met. This is the maximum amount of Top-Up that can be used to offset expenses. The deductible on a health insurance policy is a cost-sharing requirement. It’s the maximum amount that can be reimbursed for a hospitalization claim. A normal Health Insurance policy reimburses hospital charges up to the covered amount, whereas a Top-Up plan reimburses costs after the deductible is satisfied.
Top-up policies are less expensive because of the deductibles. The coverage is less expensive the lower the deductible is. Furthermore, until the age of 55, medical check-ups are not required with Top-Up insurance. In most typical health plans, this is 45 years.
If a guy has Rs 3 lakh in basic medical insurance and purchases a Rs 5 lakh Top-Up plan with a Rs 3 lakh deductible, his total sum insured is Rs 8 lakh. If the insured is involved in an accident and is taken to the hospital, his basic insurance will pay the cost of his claim up to Rs 3 lakh.
If the claim amount exceeds Rs 3 lakh, the additional money will be reimbursed from the Top-Up plan. In this case, the threshold level is Rs 3 lakh, which corresponds to the coverage given by a normal Mediclaim Policy. Simply put, if you are hospitalized, your basic coverage will pay up to the Sum Insured maximum. The top-up, on the other hand, would not commence until a particular threshold, such as Rs 3 lakh, has been met. In addition, it will reimburse the claim amount.
CONCLUSION
Top-Up Plus is an add-on to increase your health insurance coverage that provides coverage for a higher Sum Insured at a lower cost. Coverage under this plan begins once the policy’s deductible has been met. You can stay ensured under Health Suraksha Top-Up Plus for the rest of your life because there is no age limit. Individuals and families can opt for a one-year or two-year Top-Up Plus package. Furthermore, in addition to the income tax limit of 80 C, you are eligible for additional tax benefits under Section 80D.
Top-Up Plus covers in-patient care, pre-hospitalization, post-hospitalization, daycare operations, domiciliary care, organ donation, and other services. Options for Sum Insured range from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh, Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.50 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. There are deductibles of Rs 2 lakh, Rs 3 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, and Rs 5 lakh. You will receive a 10% discount if three or more family members have covered on an Individual Sum Insured basis under one adult plan in the same policy.
