Life is unpredictable as anything can happen anytime. That is why you need to buy insurance in order to safeguard yourself against any unfortunate situation. Life insurance makes sure that your loved ones accomplish their financial goals even when you are gone.
A medical insurance plan will make sure that you provide a high-quality medical care to yourself and your beloved family. Most of us feel that if we’ve sufficient life insurance and health insurance coverage, our finances as well as financial goals would be safeguarded. In the terms of insurance, it is very important for us to buy an accidental insurance plan for overall insurance protection. An accident can cause partial or total disablement that compromises your income earning ability after the accident. Life insurance won’t provide coverage for this scenario. Health insurance would specifically cover the hospitalization expenses. There would be a gap that isn’t covered. In such particular cases, an accidental insurance plan can be a blessing in disguise. Though such plans offer a limited cover, it is better to have limited coverage than having no coverage at all. What is a personal accident insurance policy? A personal accident policy provides coverage against the damage caused to the insured person in a road mishap. It provides coverage against permanent total disablement, permanent partial disablement and total temporary disablement, death because of an accident. If the policyholder dies or he/she is partially or totally disabled because of any natural illness; then totally or death would not be covered in a personal accident plan. What is considered as an accident? As per the standard definition of IRDA guidelines an accident is an involuntary, unforeseen, sudden event caused by any visible and external means. What is covered in a personal accident plan? Generally, an accident plan provides coverage for the following four major events. 1. Death because of an accident/ accidental injuries. 2. Permanent total disablement because of an accident/ accidental injuries. 3. Permanent partial disablement because of an accident/ accidental injuries. 4. Total temporary disablement because of an accident/ accidental injuries. It is not compulsory that every insurance provider will cover all the four factors mentioned above. You need to read the terms and conditions mentioned in the fine print of a policy very carefully. It will help you to know the particular nature of insurance coverage offered to you. A personal accident policy is defined as a benefit plan which means that on the occurrence of any insured event; the insurer would pay a sum assured which can be full as well as partial based on the plan that you have selected. There isn’t any relation with the hospitalization expenses. It’s in contrast to a regular medical insurance plan, where the hospitalization charges are covered. Related-: Important of Health Insurance policy For instance, if your sum assured is Rupees 10 lakh; at the time of permanent total disablement, the insurance provider will pay Rupees 10 lakh. On the contrary, if there is a case of permanent partial disablement, it might pay you a sum of Rupees 5 lakhs that is 50 percent of sum assured. The payout would be made regardless of the incurred hospitalization expenses. For any queries online click PolicyBazaar Facebook Page
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There can be times when you would need extra insurance cover for life-threatening diseases despite having a comprehensive insurance or a group health insurance from your employer. For instance, you could be diagnosed with any critical illness that needs comprehensive care which your health insurance plan won’t be able to provide because of the coverage limitation. At times, a basic health insurance plan puts a cap on particular expenses like prosthetics, intensive care unit etc. During such times, you have no option other than bearing the expenses cost.
Buying a critical illness insurance policy secures you from the loss of income, partial or total disability hospital bills etc. that comes with the acute illness. A health insurance plan provides hospitalization coverage, but a critical illness insurance policy provides a lump sum at the time a serious illness listed in the plan is diagnosed. One must consider the list of covered ailments, sum insured, claim process and claim payment history at the time of buying a critical insurance plan. Here are the factors you must keep in mind before buying a critical illness plan. 1. The Right Size To know how much your insurance provider is charging you is a surefire way to select how much coverage you need. When you know the offered benefits, it is easier for you to decide how much coverage you actually need. 2. Standalone or Rider A critical illness policy can be purchased as a standalone plan but critical illness add-ons are clubbed with health or life insurance policies. The terms and conditions under both the policies are the same to a certain extent. The selection of a standalone policy or add –on totally depends on your requirement. 3. Policy Check At the time of purchasing a critical illness policy, make sure you check the following out so that you reap the best benefits. a.Diseases covered- Analyze the list of critical diseases covered. In case cardiac diseases or any other major diseases run in your bloodline ensure that such diseases are covered. b.Sufficient Sum Assured- Keep the average price of treating major diseases before evaluating the coverage size. Don’t forget to keep inflation in your mind. 4. Maximum Renewability Some critical insurance policies come with the option of lifelong renewability and some are restricted up to the age of 50 years only. 5. Age The old aged individual should buy large coverage. They’re more vulnerable to such diseases, and the health plans suitable to their age are expensive and come with lower sum assured. The policies have rigid terms and conditions like higher copayment and sub-limits. 6. Policy Duration and Sum Assured Generally, life insurance providers formulate policies with long policy duration. Not just that, the sum assured as per these policies is higher as compared with the general insurance companies. 7. Sub-limits Various insurance providers put a limitation on the sum that insured person can claim under certain illnesses. 8. Claims Make sure that you understand the claim process and do check the claim history of the insurance provider. Have you ever been insisted on buying a health insurance plan? Are you aware that the insurance market is flooded with thousands of health insurance plans that leave no stone unturned to pull your attention? Well, when it comes to health insurance, Indian financial market is dominated by the plans like Royal Sundaram Mediclaim, HDFC ERGO Health Insurance, Religare Health Insurance, Max Bupa Health Insurance, Apollo Munich Health Insurance etc. If you are familiar with these terms then we assume, you’ve come across the myths that revolve around the term ‘Health Insurance’. Here we’ve debunked some health insurance related myths to show you the actual picture behind the scene:
Myth: To Make a Claim it is Required to be Hospitalised for minimum 24hrs Reality: It might be in some cases, but not always for every policy. There is no hard and fast rule for every illness that you are diagnosed with needs 24 hrs hospitalisation. Some illness including Radiology, Piles, Cataract, Hernia, Chemotherapy, Kidney Stone removal etc can be treated under Day Care facility. Most of the health insurance policies offered day care facility. So, rather believing on the rumours and assuming something that is not real, it is better to go through the day care procedures. 24 hrs hospitalisation is required in the extreme cases when it is ‘NECESSARY’ and if it is then the policy specifically mentions the same in the document. Myth: I am Young and Fit so I Don’t Need a Health Plan Reality: Being young doesn’t mean that you are not prone to any illness, at least you can’t ignore the seasonal one. Though it seems not essential to have a health insurance plan at your early age like 20’ or 30’, you may have caught with any diseases like dengue, malaria, seasonal influenza etc. despite being healthy. If the symptoms are not identified at the early stage or precautions are not taken on time, there are possibilities of being hospitalised is higher. And you can estimate the medical expenses these days. The situation may go even worst if you are living in a metro city like Delhi or Mumbai where medical costs are sky high. Only health insurance policy comes as a saviour at this point of time. Also, the accidental cover offered in a health plan saves you from being bankrupt. Related-: parents health insurance plans Myth: I Don’t Require to Disclose all Medical Expenses to Get Coverage Health insurance has certain terms and condition and not all ailments are covered in a standard plan. At the time of buying a plan, you are bound to disclose the existing illness if any to avoid the consequences later. Every policy owner has to serve a waiting period of 12 to 24 month to avail the benefit of coverage for pre-existing illness. Before that, you can’t claim for any medical expenses you incurred or your claim can be void. To avoid this, it is essential that you clear about all medical history, which in return will make your claim process smooth henceforth. I am a Member of Employer-sponsored Health Insurance and Don’t Need a Separate Cover Every company facilitates its employee with group health insurance plan which covers the employee along with spouse, children or parents. But these plans pose certain limitations. And most importantly, you are the member of this group until you work for the organisation. Your membership will be ceased once you resign. Moreover, the employer can any time restricts the benefits. The sum assured is also not sufficient to meet the current medical expenses, which is not more than 1 to 2 lakh. So whenever you are bound to sign on the dotted line, just consider few things:
A considerable percentage of Generation Y has recognised the benefits linked to health insurance, while a large portion of Indian still looks at medical insurance as a tax saving asset. ICICI Lombard’s recent survey says that among 1400 young people in the age bracket of 25-35 years, 75% people said that they own health insurance. 46% of insurance buyers said that tax deduction on medical insurance was the alluring factor that attracted their attention and made them buy the plan.
Time has been changing at a fast pace and every segment of our life gets affected. The health insurance sector is no exception. Considering the medical inflation, having a health insurance plan is essential these days. A single hospitalisation can make a big hole in your wallet. With a medical plan, you can bear those extra financial hiccups. But it doesn’t mean that you buy a health insurance plan in haste. A plethora of medical insurance policies have been introduced over the time, which may confuse you. Here are few factors to help you select the best health insurance policy in India. Let’s have a glance: Deductible and Co-pay The deductible is a fixed amount that you agree to pay by yourself. For instance, if your policy registered a deductible of Rs. 5000 and your claim amount is Rs. 1000, your insurer will pay 5000 only and you’ll pay the rest 5000. Likewise, co-pay is another important factor that you should consider while buying a health insurance plan. This clause requires the insured to pay a certain percentage of the medical bill out of his pocket and the rest amount will be paid by the insurer. It is not fixed and ranges from 10% to maximum of 30%. Related: Family floater health insurance Benefits under a Plan Plans based on indemnity have multiple benefits including expenses of pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation, inpatient hospitalisation benefit, domiciliary treatments, maternity related benefits, day care procedures etc. Hereby, it is imperative for you to understand your requirement and choosing a plan considering all the benefits. Some plans will add you for additional benefits as well like free health check-ups on renewal, free ambulance services etc. You should consider these all together. Taking up Right Sum Assured Choose the suitable amount of medical cover or sum assured bearing in mind the sky-high medical expenses, the city where you reside in, as hospitalisation expenses are costlier in metro cities than to non-metro cities. Check if your policy covers room rent, surgery expense, critical illness costs, the budget you set etc. Taking a comprehensive view will help you in deciding the adequate amount of sum assured. You should be very careful the time of setting a sum assured. Higher the sum assured means higher premium rate. Waiting Period Serving a waiting period is such an annoying thing. But every insured has to serve a waiting period, which means you can’t claim your insurance during this tenure excluding the emergency hospitalisation expenses. Most common waiting periods in health insurance sector includes:
No Claim Bonus Is not the bonus word alluring? Bonus makes us happy, be it work related or from our insurer. You can earn No Claim Bonus with most of the health insurance plan for not claiming your insurance during its tenure. The NCB ranges from 20% in the initial year to 50% at the sixth year. However, NCB terms may differ insurer to insurer. Always go for a plan that offers a maximum of NCB. So before purchasing a mediclaim policy, go through the clause No Claim Bonus and reap the maximum advantage of it. Well, this is not the comprehensive list. A large number of factors influencing health insurance, these are just a few of them that you may consider while buying your plan! You may be having a medical insurance plan that protects you in case a medical emergency strike. Considering the rising risk of falling prey to lifestyle diseases, having a health insurance plan is a prudent decision. But do you think it is enough to meet the current medical expenses with sky-high inflation rate? If your answer is ‘No’ then it is the time to consider making another financial buffer via critical illness health plan.
It is tough to find the best critical insurance policy, with a plethora of insurance plans have been introduced in the Indian market. It is essential to choose the best critical ailment plan to ensure you and the family are protected from financial hindrance during a medical emergency or being diagnosed with a critical disease. But before buying a critical illness plan, you should be acquainted with the policy and its benefits. Previously, this policy covered six critical illnesses including cancer, heart attack, kidney failure, organ transplant, coronary artery bypass graft surgery. But, now insurers have started introducing plans that cover a maximum of critical illness. In this article, we discuss 5 reasons why you need a critical illness cover. Avail Lump Sum Amount for Critical Illness With a critical illness plan, you can avail lump sum amount on the diagnosis of a critical ailment. This way you are covered to pay the hefty medical expenses incurred during the treatment. You may not be offered with this facility in cashless mediclaim policy Read more about insurance stuff Influences Fixed Financial Liabilities Every individual has some fixed financial liabilities including a utility bill, home EMI’s, school/college fee etc which can’t be ignored as it may disrupt your daily schedule or affect your credit history. While an emergency arises, your financial planning tends to affect intensely. Getting a lump sum amount in this regard from critical illness plan may restrain you from being bankrupt. Out-of-pocket Medical Costs Some medical treatments apart from being expensive cause some out-of-pocket expenses incurred by you. For example, treatment for heart transplant done in a place that requires you to travel or relocate for a couple of days. This by any means poses extra expenses and these expenditures are not covered by the stand-alone mediclaim policy. Here comes the critical illness plan in the picture! Sustain Normal Lifestyle You generally used to of a defined lifestyle that our pocket can afford. You embrace that lifestyle depending on the earning. A sudden medical emergency, which incurs outstanding medical expenses, may obstruct the lifestyle you subsist, due to a dent in your pocket. Buying a critical illness plan you can eliminate these stress, as you will be reimbursed for the expenses you make during the treatment. Resume Pre-health Condition Quickly It is necessary to have a financial back-up if the main earning member is diagnosed with a medical emergency which is life threatening. With a critical illness plan, which covers your medical expenses, you can resume good health status shortly. When you remain stress-free financially, another family member can concentrate on your fast recovery. Otherwise, considering your physical condition, family members may have to seek for an occupation to support the family financially. If your financial worries are taken care externally, you can focus on your speedy recovery. Analysing these points, we can sum up the critical illness plan as an asset, which ensures complete peace of mind if any medical crises arise. However, the number of critical illness covered in a plan may differ plan to plan. Hereby, you have to be careful while purchasing a plan keeping the requirement of yours in mind! The importance of motor insurance has been increasing after it becomes mandatory by law for every car owner. While there is no escape from auto insurance, applying some efforts to lower the premium can be helpful to some extent. You might have heard that your premium rate is depending on certain parameters. However, breaking the tradition of four parameters prevalent earlier, now a verity of factors influence on your auto insurance premium rate. Here is sneak peek on 8 ways you should consider if want to lower the premium-
Get Multiple Quotes Before Buying Always shop around. Don’t just stick to one and pay. There are a host of websites which provide comparison tool. You can compare the plans accordingly and select the one with the cheapest premium. Pay High Deductible If you are willing to go a step ahead with deductibles, you can wind up saving a big amount on your rates. If the customer willingly bears a stipulated amount of claim, the insurer will pay only for the damages, which excess the deductible limits. Add Safety Devices Premium depends on risk. Bigger the risk, higher the premium you pay. By installing safety devices, you can lower the risk to your vehicle and thus reduce the risk perception of the insurer towards the vehicle. At the time of purchasing auto insurance, you should provide the complete information about the vehicle including the safety devices if installed any such as anti-theft alarm, air bag etc. Moreover, by providing this much information you can avail 2-5% of discount in premium. Increase Your NCB Is your premium due for renewal? Well, you can earn discount on ‘own damage premium’ by not claiming you policy. Because for every claim free year, you are entitled to avail a discount called No Claim Bonus. The slab of NCB increases every year and may goes up to maximum of 50%. The best part is the discount earned stays with you even if you sold out the vehicle. Or if you want to change the insurer, you can carry your earned NCB along with. Provided you need to file the claim within 90 days from the expiry of your old policy. Register in Automobile Association If your name is registered with renowned Automobile Association, you can avail discount on basis of this. You can avail discount up to 5% on own damaged premium. Go Online While Renewing Renewing your policy online, you can avail some discount in premium. Some insurers encourage renewing your car insurance online. On online process, the insurer saves a considerable amount on processing and distribution costs, which is offered to the customers. Maintain Good Credit Score Your credit score plays an important role when it comes to insurance premium. Insurance companies have started considering credit score as a determiner to set premium rate. Maintaining a good credit score, you can ensure getting a best deal. Group All Your Insurance with One Insurer By choosing one insurer for all your insurance related deals like auto, health, home etc.you can earn a handsome discount upto 10% of your total premium. So, reducing your car insurance premium is not a rocket science. Well, this is not the comprehensive one. There are many other factors and these are just some of them. As there is no dearth of car insurance plans available in the market, you should be very meticulous while purchasing one. Always, consider the best deal with lower premium, which fulfils your requirement. Again, it is advisable to pick a company that can assure financial stability and come up with your expectations! Every alternate day we get to know about road accidents or a car hitting the other causing death or disability. Although, Indian govt. has made mandatory amendments for having third-party insurance to cover third-party related cases, very few register for the same consciously or a majority of people are unaware of best third party insurance plans available in the market. Some have very less clarity about how to go through the process of claiming insurance in the event of being hit by others car. Hereby, in this article, we are briefing the term and certain related facts about the third-party insurance in India.
Usually, a car insurance policy comprises of two varied covers. One takes care of the damages to the vehicle or car owner/paid driver if any, and is popularly known as ‘Own Damage Cover’ or ‘Comprehensive Car Insurance’. While the other covers others legal liability insured owing to accidental death or injury or property damage caused by the policyholder or car owner. As Motor Vehicle Act 1988 indicates, a person can file a third-party insurance claim in the event of an accident. There are certain facts revolve around the liability insurance, here you can check: 5 Related Facts: Check If You Unaware
How much does it cost? One of the exciting things about third party motor insurance is that it is affordable. For instance, if you purchase an own damage car insurance which covers damages to your car with the third party, you’ll end up paying between INR 10,000-12,000. In the other hand, if you only buy third-party insurance, it will cost around 1,000 maximum. Again, since the act only policy is obligatory by the law, you won’t find the price varying from one insurer to other. More or less it is same and less as compared to the comprehensive plan. Third-party Insurance Claim Process Firstly, the victim needs to file a claim for third-party liability against the car/bike owner, the property owner or the legal herald of the deceased. Secondly, a FIR is required with the details mentioning about
Next step is to register the case with the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal. The case will be preceded under the jurisdiction of the area where the incident happened or the petitioner resides. You should be very careful about the documents required at the time of filing a claim. All that you require is:
The limit for third-party cover has not been defined In case of an accident leading to an injury or death, the limit of the cover in third-party has not been indicated. The insurer will compensate the full amount to be paid as decided by the court The automobile industry is a technology driven industry. When technology is involved, issues hover around it. The emerging economies along with the wide spreading urbanization affects sales across the globe, the degree of competition in the industry and it helps a great deal in shaping up its digitization.
No matter how basic or how luxury your automobile is, various auto insurance plans are available in the market and the automobile owners must choose a good insurance plan that provides an extra layer of security to their vehicles. In future, the regulations would continue to trigger innovation in the automobile industry. The self-driving technology is one of the greatest disturbances in the past hundred years of the automobile industry. It will shape up differently in various regions and markets across the globe. Global markets’ regulatory, customer, and competitive eco-system will interrelate the uncertainties that revolve around these forces would create some thought-provoking questions for the key industry players that are mentioned below. Emerging Markets- What is the strategy for dealing with China as its annual sales will enhance to 30 million automobiles by the year 2020. What will be the aftermarket impact? How will they respond in case the challenges in China turns out to be too much? Which are the other emerging domains that we need to shift our focus on? Demand Constraints- To which extent the future growth policies will incorporate the changing attitudes of the younger target audience as far as the automobile ownership, the effect of urbanization, the efforts to combat the congestion on the road and the other regulatory shifts constraining the demand are concerned? Ownership Models- In what way the development in car sharing would change the buying of their automobile? How would they use it, and when will the people and the companies purchase them? Distinctions and Competencies- What is the plan for getting the digital inputs that they need? How could they make sure that the blood and the soul of their vehicles be reflected in their brand in case their outputs become more autonomous and digital? Connectivity- What would be the value of their contribution? How can they capture an environment that is rapidly increasing in the terms of networked mobility? Which type of the applications can they deliver in order to meet the ever-growing demand for the integrated transportation, seamless communication, and active safety? Mandated Standards- What are the tech portfolios that will address growing emissions along with the fuel-economy across the world in the best possible way? What are the measures that they need to take in order to keep the various type of customers belonging to various segments and geographical locations happy? Public Engagement- With the expanding scope of the regulation and the debates revolving around pollution, congestion, safety intensity and carbon emissions how can they contribute to the dialogue? How could the makes sure that a fair hearing of the economic and social benefits of the mobility and an equal distribution of the regulations are followed? Medical urgencies can strike anywhere, anytime and with anyone. To be safe, secure and achieve your financial goals, it is a must to buy adequate medical insurance for yourself and your family members. If you have a health insurance plan, good for you. Now, take one step forward and secure your well-being by buying a critical illness insurance plan. A critical illness policy irrespective of the hospital bill pays the total sum insured.
When it comes to buying an insurance plan, don’t buy any plan in a rush. Compare critical illness insurance plan and then zero down a plan of your choice. There isn’t a specific age to buy a critical insurance plan. To be on safe side, the middle-age individuals and individuals with adverse family history must not delay buying critical illness insurance plans as they are prone to critical illness. Coverage Limitations Most of the general insurance providers offer critical illness plans but each plan has different benefits, features, and cover choices. The number of critical ailments covered by the insurance providers also varies. Majorly, insurance providers cover 8 to 20 major critical diseases. Some common diseases covered by most of the critical illness plans are coronary artery bypass surgery, cancer, heart attack, kidney failure, stroke, aorta surgery, major organ transplant paralysis, and heart valve replacement. The amount of coverage is Rs. 1 lakh and some insurance providers offer coverages worth crores rupees. Watchouts It is very important to watch out all the critical illness policies is the waiting period. If it is a new insurance plan, no claim is permissible by the insurance providers till the time period of 90 days. After the renewal, the waiting period isn’t valid after that. When a critical illness is diagnosed, most insurance providers apply a condition i.e. the claim amount would be paid if the insured person survives for the time period of 30 days. Reliance General Insurance and Apollo Munich, don’t have such clause of a survival period, whereas SBI General has survival period of 28 days. What to look out for? Few health insurance plans allow the add-on of a critical illness plan in their current plan. But there is a limitation on the sum insured in the critical illness policy as it is associated with the sum insured of the health insurance plan. Select a critical illness policy instead of opting for the riders in your current health insurance plan as it provides better coverage and a high sum assured for the critical illness. Before selecting a critical insurance policy, pay close attention to the plan details. Read carefully the exclusions and inclusions mentioned in your plan. It is recommended to consult your family physician as you will get a better understanding of the various medical technical jargons. When you apply for an insurance plan fully disclose about your past and present medical conditions to you insurance provider. It is very important to start adopting a healthy lifestyle and leave your financial worries behind as your critical plan of any medical urgency. Medical insurance is a blessing in disguise. It helps you when a medical emergencies strike unexpectedly. The thing with the medical emergencies is that they come unannounced. It is a matter of days and sometimes a matter of hours and medical emergencies are converted into financial emergencies. This is where a health insurance plan acts as a savior.
If there are senior citizens in your family then it becomes very important to have senior citizen mediclaim policy. Senior citizens are more prone to the need of emergency medical intervention and this is why they must have access to medical facilities round the clock. Before you buy any health insurance plan, you must know the important details regarding the cashless mediclaim policy. In case you already have a cashless health insurance plan, it will upgrade your knowledge so that your claim process is free of any hassles. Here are the five things that you must know about the cashless mediclaim policy. 1. You don’t have to bear any load of making payments- When you avail cashless mediclaim facility you don’t have to make any payment from your own pocket that would be reimbursed later on. In order to settle the bill, the bill raised by the hospital is sent directly by the third party administrator (TPA). 2. Know about the tie-Ups- You can avail the facility of cashless hospitalization only in the insurance providers’ network authorized hospitals. The hospital should have a tie-up with the insurance provider. When you buy an insurance plan, your insurance provider list of network authorized hospitals will be provided by your insurance provider. Details regarding the third party administrator (TPA) will be provided in the insurance policy. 3. Inform the Hospital- At the time the patient is admitted to a hospital, the attendant or anybody from the family needs to inform the hospital that the patient is covered under a cashless medical insurance plan so that there is no room for any inconvenience and the billing process goes on smoothly. 4. Always carry your insurance card- When the patient is taken to the hospital, everybody is in a hurry as they want to take the patient to the hospital as soon as possible. In this rush, people usually forget to carry the patient’s insurance card which is issued by the insurance provider. If you need to avail the cashless facility offered by your insurance provider don’t forget to carry the patient’s card so that there is no delay in providing him/her the much needed medical treatment. 5. The need of preauthorization form- The insured person needs to fill up a pre-authorisation form and send it to third party administrator. This process is handled by the hospital. 6. The TPA is the decision making authority- The TPA is in charge of approving or denying the claim on the basis of the terms, conditions, and limits formulated by the specific insurance plan. TPA’s decision along with the expenses limit is informed to the hospital. |