Health Insurance Riders
Health insurance plays an important role in the financial stability of an individual.
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Health insurance plays an important role in the financial stability of an individual. Along with providing monetary support, buying health insurance ensures peace of mind. However, buying sufficient coverage is equally important.
Sometimes, a basic health insurance policy is not adequate as the coverage provided may not be suitable for your requirements. When such a situation arises, one can opt for additional coverages or as they are commonly referred to as – riders.
Types of Health Insurance Riders
Maternity
To avail a coverage for maternity benefits, usually, a waiting period is applicable. After which, treatment related to childbirth, pre and postnatal care, and/or coverage for a newborn baby may be included in this rider. If you buy this rider, the premium amount may increase by 15 to 20% of the base policy.
Room rent waiver
The room rent under a basic health insurance plan is mostly capped up to a certain amount. If one wants to stay in a room that costs more, he/she needs to pay the difference from their pocket. However, with the help of Room rent waiver add-on, one can either get a higher sub-limit or no sub-limit at all. This helps your insurance company to pay the room’s rent irrespective of the room type you choose.
Daily Cash
Through this add-on, you can get a daily cash benefit when you are admitted for at least 24 hours. Usually, the amount paid ranges from 500-3000 rupees. For critically ill patients admitted in the ICU, the amount of daily cash can be more. One can use the amount to take care of things like buying medicines or managing other medical expenses during the stay in the hospital.
Coverage for Critical Illness
This rider is slightly like a life insurance cover that pays a lump sum amount. Here the amount is paid if the policyholder is diagnosed with a critical illness. This type of illness can include cancer, massive heart stroke, brain tumor or multiple sclerosis. People with a family history of such illnesses should opt for a Critical Illness Rider. While buying this rider, the number of diseases covered can be from 15 to 40 depending upon the insurer and the cost of the policy.
Top-up and Super Top-up
These plans are designed to provide additional financial support in case of medical emergencies. As the name suggests, top-up and super-top-up plans come into force when the limit of the base plan gets exhausted. People who feel that their basic health insurance coverage is not sufficient should buy top-up plans.
What is covered under a basic health insurance policy?
Depending upon the type of health insurance policy you opt for, you will be financially covered for the following:
Pre-existing diseases
Many times, a policyholder might already suffer from a medical condition before buying a health insurance plan. Illnesses like diabetes, kidney failure, cancer, respiratory diseases, etc. are common. Usually, a waiting period is applicable if a policyholder wishes to get a pre-existing condition added under health insurance.
Surgery
Surgery and hospitalization arising out of a medical condition are covered under a health insurance policy. Specifically, the cost of pre-hospitalization, hospitalization, and post-hospitalization, including the following is covered:
• Room rent
• Nursing Expenses
• ICU Charges
• Doctor’s visits
• Anesthesia charges
• Blood tests
• Oxygen cylinder
• Surgical appliances
• Medicines and drugs
Health Insurance for Senior Citizens
These are comprehensive plans that are specifically designed for elderly people. Their requirements can differ from youngsters. Keeping this in mind, health insurance for senior citizens may include annual health check-up, domiciliary hospitalization cover, cashless hospitalization, lifetime renewability of the health insurance policy, and more.
Health Insurance for Children
Children are more delicate and susceptible to diseases than adults. Thus, it is a good idea to get a health insurance policy for them as soon as it is available. Some health insurance companies in India allow babies as young as 16 days to be covered under an insurance plan, otherwise, a baby covered under insurance when he/she crosses 90 days.
The Bottom Line
The main aim of buying health insurance is to get a complete financial cover in case of medical emergencies. If you feel that your basic plan is not sufficient, consider buying additional coverages. The entire process of buying a policy becomes easier when you opt for online health insurance. You get a chance to review every aspect of the online health insurance policy and decide a better coverage for yourself and your family.
Disclaimer: *Except for exclusions like maternity benefits, undisclosed diseases, etc. Please check policy wordings for more details.
**The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. It is based on industry experience and several secondary sources on the internet; and is subject to changes. Please go through the applicable policy wordings for updated ACKO-centric content and before making any insurance-related decisions.
