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We are still not out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second wave of the pandemic overburdened the healthcare infrastructure of India. It also put a substantial financial burden on patients and their families. For many people, it was challenging to get appropriate care in such dire circumstances.
Indian consumers have now started realizing the importance of health insurance. However, tackling a medical emergency in times of a pandemic can be difficult. The illness or injury and the burden of the cost of its medical treatment can break most people. And so, it is in your best interest to buy a comprehensive health insurance plan to get access to quality healthcare and cover the ground in a difficult situation such as COVID-19
While India saw a significant increase in health insurance purchases last year, health insurance buyers must make a smart and informed decision while buying a policy.
Do not rush and buy unsuitable plans with insufficient covers. Instead, ask yourself the following 5 questions and purchase an appropriate comprehensive health insurance plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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5 questions to ask yourself before buying a health insurance plan
Buying a health insurance plan is advisable, but you must ascertain some aspects before purchasing an insurance plan. Below are the 5 questions you must ask yourself to choose a comprehensive health insurance plan:
1. Does your insurer has simple and smooth claim process?
Before buying a health insurance plan, do a background check of the insurance company by yourself. Check its customer service and claim settlement figures. It is advisable to choose a health insurance company with a good customer service and a relatively high claim settlement ratio. A simple and smooth claim process comes as a boon at the time of settling your claims.
2. Does your insurer have cashless hospitals in your vicinity?
Your insurer has certain list of network hospitals where you can get the benefit of cashless treatment. Therefore, it is in your best interest to select an insurer with a considerable number of network hospitals in your vicinity for you to avail of cashless treatment.
3. What is the waiting period clause?
Many health insurance plans have in place waiting period clause for treatment coverage. So, you have to wait for a certain period before you get covered for any medical treatment. Mostly, the waiting period ranges from anywhere between 24 months and 48 months post the policy is issued, so it’s better to make yourself aware of the waiting period clause.
4. Does your policy cover value added services?
While you may not choose a plan for the additional benefits, it’s nice to know if your plan includes cumulative bonus booster or rewards for healthy lifestyle amongst several others. Choosing such policy is the best choice, as it rewards you to stay active and healthy including premium benefits.
5. What are the limitations and exclusions?
Some insurers have in place a cooling-off period. If you have had COVID-19 in the past, you are required to wait a few months before you get coverage against COVID-19. Remember, a health insurance policy cannot cover every aspect related to medical emergencies. Many exclusions are not covered and you must thoroughly go through this list while buying the policy to understand what is excluded from the coverage. You must choose a health insurance policy which covers your and your family’s health requirements.
What are comprehensive health insurance plans?
Comprehensive health insurance plans offer extensive coverage and act as a financial cushion during medical emergencies. They provide for hospitalization expenses towards acute or chronic illnesses as well as accidents. In addition, they also cover outpatient and inpatient treatments, medical tests, hospital stays, consultations, etc.
ManipalCigna ProHealth Insurance Plans
ManipalCigna ProHealth Insurance Plans are great comprehensive hospitalization plans for you and your family. They cover the most ground and have acceptable terms and conditions. The plans even pay for emergency treatments when you are on foreign soil.
Below are some of the advantages you get with ManipalCigna ProHealth Insurance Plans:
- If you are under 65, you do not have to split your hospitalization bill with ManipalCigna Health Insurance, as the company will pay all your costs listed in the plan up to the sum insured
- There is no disease wise sub-limit with ManipalCigna ProHealth Insurance Plans. So, you are fully covered irrespective of the condition you are dealing with
- All your medical expenses including medication are covered for up to 60 days pre and up to 180 days post your hospitalization
- You get unlimited 100% restoration of sum insured benefit meaning that you can claim your full cover multiple times in a year for different diseases
- If you are hospitalized for less than 24 hours for some procedure, the ManipalCigna ProHealth Insurance Plans will cover those medical costs as well
- You are covered for domiciliary hospitalization
- Alternative medicine like Ayurvedic, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathic are covered up to the entire sum insured under the plans
So, make a wise decision in buying your comprehensive health insurance plan by ascertaining the above-listed elements, especially amid COVID-19.
