Healthcare costs are on a constant rise. At such a time, it becomes very risky for you to stay without insurance. This is because insurance helps you at the time of an emergency by enabling you to afford the best possible treatment. The insurance provider takes care of the medical bills while you get to nurse yourself back to health. Therefore, everyone must have a health insurance. But what about those people who have pre-existing illnesses such as diabetes or hypertension? Will they be able to find a health plan for themselves? The answer is a big, fat ‘yes’!
India with around 50 million type-2 cases, is the diabetic capital of the world. And these numbers are increasing very fast. It has been estimated that by 2030, more than 100 million people will be afflicted with Diabetes in India.
Even if you have a pre-existing illness, you can still buy a health insurance and get mental peace. Take a look at this article to understand the strategies you can adopt before buying a health insurance plan.
Yes, if you have a pre-existing illness such as diabetes or hypertension, it will be slightly more complicated for you to get a good health cover. This doesn’t in any way mean that you will have to stay uncovered.
The insurance providers are skeptical about selling their policies to people who have existing medical conditions because the chances of them falling further ill and making claims are always higher.
As a result, the insurers often charge a higher premium for people with pre-existing illnesses and also put across added terms and conditions to them.
Most policy documents that you come across will clearly state that diabetes and hypertension are excluded from the list of ailments. However, most other illnesses are covered and so you must buy the health plan to stay protected.
There aren’t too many plans that offer cover for diabetes and hypertension, but the ones that are available are good ones.
Your existing plan may cover for the expenses related to all other illness except the diabetes related one. And, the Diabetes cover plan can pay for the hospitalization expenses related to Diabetes.
Also, hypertension can lead to Cardiac problems and hence a special Cardiac Care plan can be considered for people suffering from hypertension.
So, if you are suffering from Diabetes/Hypertension, you could consider getting a special plan from the ones mentioned below:
However, if you have an existing health plan, which covers these diseases, please continue the same. This is because; the plans with pre-existing illnesses have a maximum sum assured cap. Thus, it cannot be issued for higher coverage.
The table below list a comparison of the premiums for some of the mentioned plans for a 45 year old opting for a Rs 3 Lakh cover.
| Special Plans covering Pre-existing Illnesses – Premium comparison ** | |
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(**Premiums from company website and brochure)
Conclusion
It is difficult, but not impossible to find a health insurance plan if you suffering from diabetes or hypertension. You just have to look harder and may be pay an extra premium, but you can still stay protected. Even if you have these pre-existing conditions, do not shy away from buying a health plan, as you will need the coverage.
Health is one of the most vulnerable things of life today and so you should not take the risk of living without good health insurance coverage. Keep the above-mentioned tips in mind and plan your health requirements accordingly. Do a comparison online or speak to your insurance agent to see what options are available to you. Once all that is done, buy the health plan that is best suited for you.
This is a guest post by Anand of Turtlemint.com.
About the Author
Anand Prabhudesai is a seasoned professional with 15+ years of strategy and operations experience in technology, internet and mobile domains in the US and India. He has experience in developing market strategy, building and scaling consumer internet services, and leading cross-functional teams in engineering, product, sales and marketing. He holds MBA with Honors from Chicago Booth & an Electrical Engineering degree from IIT Bombay.
Anand co-founded Turtlemint in the year 2015 with an intent to “demystify” insurance by explaining the jargon in a simple way and providing smart online tools to help a user make the right choice w.r.t. Car, Two Wheeler & Health Insurance.
Continue reading another interesting article written by dear Anand : Should NRIs buy Health Insurance in India?
Kindly note that Relakhs.com is not associated with Turtlemint or with any of the above mentioned insurance companies. This post is for information purposes only. This is a guest post and NOT a sponsored one. We have not received any monetary benefit for publishing this article.
(Image courtesy of fantasista at FreeDigitalPhotos.net) (Post Published on : 03-October-2015)
This post was last modified on July 11, 2023 12:09 pm
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Health Insurance is really a good thing, they take care of their clients in bad time but Can you suggest me some good tips about the Health Insurance and few good companies of Health insurance to sort out.