Smart people take risks while the ignorant ones wait for it. Life is a risky business. You never know when it will hit you harder. So better to be prepared. Women across the world are always perceived as better planners in comparison to their male counterparts. But the irony is, very few of them take charge of their own finances & buy a health insurance plan to secure their lives against health calamities.
Gender gap is prevalent everywhere & health insurance buying decision is no exception. We all must have seen or have been seeing women who are doing exceptionally great jobs, are incredible home-makers & leading their lives on their own rules but depend on their father, spouse or son when it comes to buying a health insurance plan. They look at them before making a decision and the worst is, in most of the cases only opt for family floater plan or covered under group mediclaim provided by their employers.
Today we’ll dig out the reasons why every should buy a health insurance plan & cover themselves against any health hazards:
1. Longer Life Span
Women across the world are reported to have a longer life-span when compared to men. However, longer the life, more are the chances to fall ill. In order to lead a healthy life, it is very much required for women to care for themselves the way they do for their family. Women health insurance plan not only provides them coverage but also makes them feel financially independent as buying a health insurance means the insurer will pay the medical bills in case of any emergencies & not their family members.
2. Rising Costs of Treatment
Inflation rates are rising like global warming and one must not ignore this. A normal monthly health check-up costs around 1000-2000, depending on the hospital. Let’s take an instance to understand the crucial nature of the problem; Riya, an IT Professional is working with an MNC in Gurgaon, far from her hometown & family. One evening while leaving to home from her office, she felt an unbearable pain in her stomach. Her colleagues took her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with Appendix. Doctors suggested her to go through an immediate surgery that costed around 25,000 bucks. This whole affair left her with poor health, a burn in her pocket & debt that she had taken from her colleagues to pay the hospital bills. Had she covered with a women health insurance plan, she would not have trapped in this vicious circle.
This is the reality of our health sector where hospitals are charging high & people have to pay as they have no option. A survey reveals that less than 40% women have a health cover. Moreover, of the total women, 22% bought insurance for self while the rest depended upon policies bought by the male relatives or employers.
3. Women-specific Diseases
Apart from the common diseases, women are always at higher health risks owing to the gender-specific diseases like breast cancer, ovarian cancer to name a few. After menopause, women become more vulnerable to diseases like osteoporosis, cardiovascular attacks etc. Treatment of these diseases cost in lakhs and paying from your own pocket will either leave you with no savings or in debt. Therefore it is always advisable to buy a women-specific health insurance plan that provides maximum coverage including cashless hospitalisation to free treatment/reimbursement.
4. Maternity Coverage
One of the major benefits that one can avail by taking a women health insurance plan is of maternity benefits. Though no insurance company offers a maternity-exclusive plan, they do provide a maternity cover that one can avail after 3-6 years of buying a policy depending upon the clauses. For an instance, say someone buys a women health insurance plan from Apollo Munich & she is paying premiums on a regular basis for 3 or more years, she is entitled to get a maternity coverage that includes coverage to her new-born too.
In account to more & more couples opting for Caesarian section rather going for normal delivery, it becomes inevitable to buy a women-specific health insurance plan.
5. Additional Benefits
Women balance a lot; from home to office, kids to vendors- they ensure everything flows in-stream. But in this act of balancing they often ignore themselves resulting poor health & a stressful mind. When they are covered by a health insurance, they are more likely to visit the doctor as the bills will be paid by the insurer. Besides, women are also entitled to get recovery benefits that include reimbursement in case of an extended stay at hospital.
6. Tax Savings
The additional advantage of tax saving is always attached to buying a health insurance plan. Women can claim for a deduction up to Rs. 25,000 in income tax on the basis of premium paid under article 80D of Income Tax Act, 1961.
Everything that happens happen for a reason but one must never ignore the fact that the only certainty that life offers is uncertainty. You might be doing great today but no one guarantees that this situation will be the same forever. So act wisely. Invest in your well being as you are priceless. Opt for a plan that caters maximum of your health needs & revise it as per your requirement. DO A HEALTHVESTMENT!
