4 ways to enhance health insurance coverage
1. Approach your existing Insurer: This
should be the first step especially for the one who’s been diagnosed with some
illness or has already taken some claim. Your existing insurer has your
complete track record with them and you’ve been paying them the premium for so
long, so it is comparatively easy for the existing insurer to enhance the
claim. Some percentage of existing cover gets easily enhanced without any
medical tests, but company may ask for medical tests if you want to enhance
beyond a specific limit. This limit varies with insurers.
2. Port out policy to some other
insurer: These days you can port/shift your policy out to some
other insurer. In porting out, the benefits accumulated in the existing policy
like No claim bonus, waiving of waiting periods etc. will also be transferred
to the new company.
To
port out your policy you have to apply to the new insurer at least 45-60 days
in advance. Do keep in mind that this is equivalent to applying for a fresh
policy though with no waiting periods. The acceptance of your proposal is
totally new insurer prerogative. It may accept your policy with some
conditions.
Porting
out is recommended only when there are some visible benefits in the new policy
or if you are not satisfied with the existing insurer services.
You
may go with higher sum assured then your existing one. These days you will find
policies offering coverage up to Rs 50 lakh
3. Buying Policy with high no claim
bonus:
First
time buyer or those who want to port out existing policy, may go with a policy
which offers high no claim bonus. This feature indirectly keeps on increasing
total coverage.
4. Top up your existing cover:
This
is the most viable and economical option for enhancing one’s health insurance
cover. Top up policies can be bought up independently or along with your
existing cover. Top up cover gets activated after a particular amount which is
called deductible. Deductible is something which you have to pay out of your
pocket or from existing insurance cover and the balance claim amount will be
taken care by the Top up plans.
Say
for e.g. you have a health insurance policy of Rs 3 lakh and you enhance this
cover with a top up policy of Rs 10 lakh with a deductible of Rs 3 lakh. Now if
there’s any claim of Rs 5 lakh, then Rs 3 lakh will be paid through base policy
and rest will be taken care by Top up plans.
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