Factors to Consider Before Getting Health Insurance Policy

By arya

You should be careful while buying health insurance policy as choosing the wrong type of plan can impact your future. Remember that there are many plans in the market and each one has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. In this regard, what is best suited for one person may be a wrong choice for another person. For this reason, you should carefully evaluate your requirements in the proper manner and only then choose the suitable health coverage. You can consider Star Health Insurance Policy or any other reputed plan available in the market at affordable rates. The premium you pay for the policy will be very less when compared to the amazing benefits you can derive from the policy in times of emergency medical needs. Most of the insurance companies have association with various hospitals and you can easily get cashless treatment at these network hospitals. You can discuss all these issues about the features of the policy with the company executives and get complete clarity in this regard.

Sum assured coverage offered by policy

This should be your first concern and you must ensure that the sum assured coverage offered by the policy will be enough to cover your future health needs. You can choose this option as per your premium paying capacity. In general, the higher your premium, the better coverage you can expect from the insurance company. You can use Star Health Premium Calculator to get some idea about cost of such health insurance plans. If you are still new to this concept, you can go with a basic coverage plan and then increase the coverage in future as your healthcare needs change in future. Every person must have a coverage of at least few lakhs to be able to provide suitable medical treatment in an emergency situation. When you are buying the policy in group for your family members, remember that the coverage can be used for any person in the group in future. In this way, you can get better sum assured with less premium.

Individual or Group Coverage for family

Individual or Group Coverage for family
You can get a separate health care policy for yourself or buy the coverage for your entire family. Most married people with kids choose the group coverage plan as they can easily manage the policy and get combined coverage for every person in the family. It will also cost less when compared to buying the individual policy for every member in the family. However, if you are still single, you can choose the individual coverage and secure your future health needs. In the same manner, some people may also choose to get separate health cover for parents who are senior citizens. This makes sense as it can provide additional benefits for their pre-existing conditions which are usually not required for younger members of the family. In this way, you can choose any option of your choice after discussing about the plans with the insurance advisors or the company executives.

Pre-existing health conditions

Pre-existing health conditions
Many people suffer from health problems and it should not be a concern while getting health insurance policy. You will be glad to know that you can even get coverage for the pre-existing diseases after few years after the commencement of the plan. In most cases, there will be a 3 year gap to offer coverage for such pre-existing diseases and you can get health coverage when you are continuing your renewals without any interruption for the first few years. In this way, you can lead a comfortable life without any problems in future and get the suitable treatment for all your health problems.

Premium paid for the policy

You need to pay the premium for the coverage offered by the insurance company and this will be proportional to the sum assured coverage mentioned in the plan. You can use the Star Health Premium Calculatorand get to know these rates in an easy manner. Apart from that, there are many portals that provide information about the premiums charged for various plans and you can get free quotes for your chosen plans. Note that lesser premium does not mean that the policy is best and you need to consider other factors also while choosing the suitable plan for your health needs. The premium will be valid for one year in most cases and you have to renew the policy after this tenure. If you have not made any claims for the entire tenure, you will be eligible for some discounts on the premium for the next policy renewal.

Top-up options available in the policy

In some cases, you may use the entire sum assured coverage even before the tenure of the policy ends. In this situation, it does not mean that you will be left with no coverage for the rest of the tenure. You can easily add the coverage once again by choosing the top-up option. Most insurance companies allow such options and you need to enquire about the charges for such options in the policy. Get in touch with insurance advisors and understand the features of Star Health Insurance Policyor any other reputed plan in the market. Using the top up option allows you to enjoy uninterrupted coverage and you need not worry about running out of coverage in the long run.

Network hospitals of the insurance company

Network hospitals of the insurance company
Every insurance company will have some or the other network hospitals and you need to check this list while choosing the suitable plan for your family health cover. Make sure to go with the company that has a long list of network hospitals in your city so that you will have many options when you want to get any medical treatment in future. The biggest advantage of choosing to get treatment in network hospitals is that the treatment becomes cashless and you need not worry about reimbursement problems in future.

Coverage for outpatient expenses

Some companies also offer coverage for outpatient expenses when you are not getting admitted to the hospital. This usually happens when the issue is small and does not require hospitalization. Be very careful about this factor as many companies deny coverage unless the person is admitted to the hospital. Enquire about such options with the insurance executives and always opt for the ones that provide suitable coverage for outpatient treatment. However, you must understand that only a certain portion of the sum assured coverage amount will be available for such treatment.

Coverage for medical checkups

Coverage for medical checkups
In most cases, people who do not fall sick do not get any benefits out of the health insurance plans. In this regard, you should prefer the plans that offer coverage even for medical checkups. In this way, you can go for the annual health checkup and recover some part of the money invested in the policy. This is also a good option when you have to go for frequent diagnosis to treat various chronic diseases. Many people suffering from kidney related ailments and diabetic patients need frequent checkups and this option will be very useful to save money on the medical checkups.

Coverage for maternity treatment

maternity treatment
You should be aware of the fact that most companies do not consider pregnancy to be eligible for insurance coverage. In this regard, unless it is specifically mentioned, you must assume that coverage will be denied for maternity treatment. You need to check this factor carefully and select the plan that offers complete coverage for maternity problems if you are still young and plan to have kids in the near future. On the other hand, if you have already crossed this phase, you can conveniently avoid this option and get to save money by choosing the regular insurance plans. Consider buying Star Health Insurance Policyif you need maternity treatment in future as they have good options for such treatment. They have various plans and you can choose the suitable one after discussing the issues with the company executives.

Exclusions of the policy

Every insurance policy will come with some or the other exclusions and you need to be aware of them before choosing the suitable health insurance plan. All the exclusions will be clearly mentioned in the policy document and read them carefully while buying the coverage. Whenever you have any doubt in this regard, you can approach the company executives and get them clarified to avoid problems in future. The exclusions will not be covered by the policy and you will bear all the risks with regards to such ailments in future.

When you select the policy after considering all the above mentioned factors, you can rest assured that you will have the best policy to meet your future health needs. Never be in a hurry to buy the policy and always compare different plans available in the market while buying health insurance policy. You can get quotes from online aggregator portals and even compare the features of various plans although this means you may have to send personal information online so be careful of your digital security. Still, these digital options will allow you to select the best option suited for your healthcare needs.