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Nominating Family for Different Insurance Policies

TeamAckoFeb 29, 2024

In case of an unfortunate event where the policyholder suffers death, there needs to be a nominee who can replace the primary policyholder. By selecting a nominee, you can ensure a smooth functioning of the health insurance policy. Be it your legal heir or any other member of your family, making someone a nominee can prevent disputes regarding funds in case of your demise.

So read on to know more about selecting a nominee in health insurance.

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Contents

What is a Nominee in Health Insurance?
How to Select a Nominee?
How to Add or Change Nomination in Insurance Policies through ACKO?
Final Words
Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Nominee in Health Insurance?

A nominee for health insurance is an insured member or members who can claim the benefits of the insurance policy. Though not mandatory, it is essential to select a nominee in a health insurance policy to avoid any discrepancies or disputes on receiving the policy's benefits. Nominating your family members for insurance ensures they do not have any financial crisis at such an unfortunate event.

How to Select a Nominee?

Given below are some of the nominee rules for insurance policies that you must keep in mind to avoid any issues later.

Beneficial Nominee

According to the Insurance Law Amendment Act of 2015, the immediate family members of a policyholder like spouse, parents and children are called the beneficial nominee. If you select them as your nominee, they are beneficially entitled to claim the death benefit over any other legal heirs as per the law.

Minor Nominee

In certain cases, a policyholder selects his children as nominees. However, children below the age of 18 years are called minor nominees. Therefore, until the minor nominee attains the legal age, a guardian or appointee is arranged to take care of the insurance amount at the time of settlement.

Once the minor nominee reaches the legal age to receive the death benefit, the appointee is legally obliged to pay the amount to the nominee. Hence, since the future of a minor nominee is dependent on the appointee, it is highly advisable to select a trustworthy person for the same.

Non-family Member as Nominee

Selecting a nominee for your insurance is not limited to your family members. You can also choose a friend or a distant relative to be your nominee. However, you must remember that the non-family nominee would receive the death benefit as a custodian. This means your legal heirs may have the right to claim the death benefit from that person under certain policies.

Multiple People as Nominees

You can also select multiple nominees if you have more than one child or you wish to distribute the death benefit to your family members. In these cases, you can also select the percentage of the sum assured for each of the nominees you have selected.

Changing Nominee

You can also change the nominees as per your wish at any time before the policy matures for payment. However, you must remember that the individual who would be appointed last as the nominee will be receiving the death benefit.

No Nominee

In certain cases, where the policyholder has not selected any nominee before his demise, or the selected nominee has passed away, the death benefit will be received by the beneficial nominee, legal heirs or succession certificate holders issued by a competent court. However, if the beneficial nominee passes away, the right to claim the death benefit will pass on to the legal heirs of the beneficial nominee.

How to Add or Change Nomination in Insurance Policies through ACKO?

With ACKO’s user-friendly interface, you can conveniently add or change your medi claim nominee. You can proceed with the below simple steps to do the same:

Step 1: Visit the official website of ACKO or its mobile application.

Step 2: Log in to your account with your credentials.

Step 3: Click on the “View Details” option on your policy card.

Step 4: Navigate to the “Edit Policy” button.

Step 5: Click on “Edit/ Add Nominee” to add or change the names of your nominee/ nominees.

Final Words

To conclude, selecting a nominee in health insurance is essential since it can act as a shield to protect your loved ones from financial crisis in your absence. However, make sure to choose a nominee wisely so that you can be assured that the policy benefit can pass on to the right ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Given below are some of the frequently asked questions regarding nominating your family for different insurance policies

Who is eligible to become a nominee?

In general terms, any person with a sane mind and legal age is eligible to become a nominee. This includes any family member, legal heirs, friends, extended family etc. In certain cases, if the nominee is a minor, the policy can also appoint someone to take hold of the policy until the nominee comes to a legal age.

Is it mandatory to have nominees for health insurance policies?

No, it is not mandatory to have nominees in health insurance policies. However, it is highly advisable to do so for an immediate family member or a close one. This helps in avoiding complications in reimbursing the insured sum for the family after the death of the policyholder.

Are nominees and legal heirs the same?

No, legal heirs and nominees are not the same. While on one hand, a nominee is the person who has been nominated by the policyholder to receive the insured amount after his demise, a legal heir is the one who is supposed to inherit the property of the policyholder after his demise.

Can my kids be included in a family insurance policy?

Yes, you can include your kids in a family insurance policy. However, the dependent children can only be included in the plan up to 25 years of age. Even though this exit age may vary from one plan to another, they will not be able to stay within the plan if they get married or start earning before 25 years.

Is a family health insurance policy better than an individual health insurance policy?

It depends on your needs to select any one out of family health insurance and individual health insurance policies. If you are looking for an insurance plan for your entire family, opting for family health insurance is a better option since a single sum is insured for the entire family. On the other hand, buying an individual insurance plan for each member of the family can lead to higher premiums.

What would be the best health insurance policies to nominate my family for?

The best health insurance policies for your family depend on various factors like the number of your family members, your ability to afford the monthly premiums etc. However, insurance policies with comprehensive coverage, affordable premiums, a wide network of hospitals and good customer service can be the ideal ones for everyone.

So it is best for you to compare different insurance policies to check which of those aligns with your needs perfectly.

What are the documents required to claim a reimbursement for a family health insurance?

Even though the most crucial two documents to claim a reimbursement for a family health insurance are hospital bills and the discharge summary. However, the exact number and list of documents can vary based on different cases. The following is a list of general documents required for the same: