What is Health Insurance?
Health Insurance is a contract between the policyholder and the insurer where the health insurance company provides financial coverage to the insured up to the sum insured limit. It offers medical coverage for healthcare expenses incurred during an emergency or planned hospitalization. It also provides tax savings on the premium paid to the insurance company under Section 80D of the Income Tax, 1961.
Benefits of Buying Health Insurance Plans Online?
Buying a health insurance policy online comes with several benefits. Take a look at them below:
- Easier to Compare Plans – It is easier to compare health insurance plans from different insurers online at websites like Policybazaar.com to make an informed decision.
- More Convenient – It is more convenient to buy the policy online as you do not have to visit the branch of the insurance company or take an appointment to meet an insurance agent.
Top Reasons to Buy a Health Insurance Plan
Medical inflation is increasing every day making treatments expensive. If you get hospitalized for a critical illness or lifestyle disease, you may end up losing all your savings. The only way to afford quality medical treatment during a health emergency is by buying a health insurance policy. Take a look at some of the top reasons to buy a health insurance plan below:
- Beat Medical Inflation – A health insurance policy can help you pay your medical bills, including pre and post-hospitalization expenses, today as well as in future despite the rising medical costs.
- Afford Quality Medical Treatment – It helps you to afford the best quality medical treatment and care so that you can focus only on getting cured.
- Fight Lifestyle Diseases – It allows you to pay for the long-term treatment of lifestyle diseases like cancer, heart attack, etc. that have been on the rise with the changing lifestyles.
- Protect Your Savings – It helps you to protect your hard-earned savings by covering your medical expenses so that you can avail the required treatment without any financial worries.
- Avail Cashless Hospitalization Facility – It allows you to obtain a cashless hospitalization facility at any of the network hospitals of your insurance provider by raising a cashless claim.
- Get Tax Benefits – It enables you to save tax on the health insurance premium that you’ve paid under section 80D of the Income Tax Act for better financial planning.
- Ensure Peace of Mind – It allows you to obtain medical treatment with peace of mind as you do not have to worry about paying the hefty hospital bills.
Key Benefits of Health Insurance Plans in India
Health insurance plans offer a variety of health benefits to the insured depending on the plan. Following are the key benefits of buying a health insurance plan in India:
- Hospitalization Expenses – A health insurance plan covers the medical expenses incurred on getting admitted to a hospital for more than 24 hours. It includes room rent, doctor’s fee, medicine cost, diagnostic test fees, etc.
- Pre & Post Hospitalization Expenses – It covers the medical expenses that you may have incurred on an illness before getting hospitalized as well as follow-up treatment expenses incurred after getting discharged. The pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses are covered up to a fixed number of days as specified in the policy document.
- ICU Charges – A health insurance plan also covers the cost of availing treatment in an ICU during hospitalization.
- Ambulance Cost – It covers the cost of ambulance services availed to reach the nearest hospital during a medical emergency.
- Cashless Treatments – All health insurance providers in India offer cashless treatment facilities at their network hospitals. You do not have to worry about arranging money to pay the hospital bills if you get admitted to a network hospital as it will be settled by your insurer under cashless claims.
- Day Care Procedures – It also covers the cost of availing day care treatment that requires hospitalization for less than 24 hours.
- Pre-existing Diseases – The best health insurance policy also provides coverage for pre-existing diseases after you have completed the waiting period. Usually, pre-existing diseases are covered after a waiting period of 2 to 4 years.
- AYUSH Treatment – It covers the cost of availing medical treatment through AYUSH school of medicines that includes Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy, Siddha and Yoga.
- Medical Check-ups – Most health insurance companies in india offer free preventive health check-up facilities to the insured at regular intervals depending on the policy terms and conditions.
Best Health Insurance Plans in India
We at Policybazaar can help you to buy the best health insurance plan that suits your health requirements. Below is the list of health insurance plans offered by the top insurance companies in India. You can do an online comparison and find the best health plan for yourself.
| Health Insurance Plans | Sum Insured (Rs) | Network Hospitals | Key Benefits |
| Aditya Birla Activ Assure Diamond Plan | Min – 2 lakh Max – 2 Crore | 8700+ | Pre-post hospitalization coverIn-patient hospitalization coverDomiciliary hospitalization cover100% Ambulance coverAYUSH in-patient cover |
| Bajaj Allianz Health Infinity Policy | Unlimited | 6500+ | Pre-post hospitalization coverDay care proceduresPreventive health check-upsRoad ambulanceIn-patient hospitalization |
| Bharti AXA Smart Health Insurance Policy | Min – 50,000 Max – 5 lakh | 4500+ | Day care treatment coverIn-patient hospitalization benefitCritical illness coverPre-post hospitalization coverDomiciliary hospitalization |
| Care Health Insurance Plan | Min – 3 lakh Max – 75 lakh | 16500+ | In-patient careAlternative treatmentOrgan donor coverPre-post hospitalization coverSecond opinion |
| Cholamandalam Healthline Plan | Min – 1 lakh Max – 25 lakh | 6500+ | Emergency ambulance expensesPre-post hospitalization expensesMaternity expensesIn-patient hospitalization expensesAYUSH coverage expenses |
| Digit Health Care Plus Policy | Min – 2 lakh Max – 3 crore | 6400+ | Hospitalization coverDaily hospital cash coverCritical illness coverComplimentary health check-upPsychiatric illness cover |
| Zuno (Formerly Edelweiss) Health Insurance Policy | Min – 1 lakh Max – 1 crore | 3200+ | Day care treatmentPre-post hospitalization coverMaternity benefitAmbulance coverHospitalization expenses |
| Future Generali Health Total Policy | Min – 3 lakh Max – 1 crore | 6000+ | Maternity benefitHospitalization expensesOPD medical expensesRoad ambulance chargesMental healthcare cover |
| IFFCO Tokio Individual Health Protector | Min – 50,000 Max – 20 lakh | 6400+ | Hospitalization expensesAYUSH hospitalization coverOrgan donor coverDomiciliary hospitalization |
| Kotak Mahindra Health Premier Policy | Min – 3 lakh Max – NA | 5000+ | In-patient treatmentAnnual health check-upMaternity coverHome nursing benefitAir ambulance cover |
| Liberty Health Connect Policy | Min – 2 lakh Max – 15 lakh | 5000+ | Hospital daily cash allowanceIn-patient treatment expensesPre-post hospitalization expensesRecovery benefitSecond opinion |
| ManipalCigna ProHealth Insurance Policy | Min – 2.5 lakh Max – 1 crore | 6500+ | Hospitalization expensesOutpatient expensesAYUSH In-patient hospitalization coverDonor expensesMedical check-up |
| Niva Bupa (Formerly known as Max Bupa) Health Companion Plan | Min – 3 lakh Max – 1 crore | 7400+ | Day care treatmentsIn-patient careModern treatmentPre-post hospitalization expensesHealth check-up |
| National Mediclaim Policy | Min – 1 lakh Max – 10 lakh | 6000+ | In-patient hospitalization expensesAmbulance chargesPre-post hospitalization expensesModern treatmentsMental illness cover |
| New India Assurance Mediclaim Policy | Min – 1 lakh Max – 15 lakh | 3000+ | Pre-post hospitalization expensesAmbulance chargesIn-patient hospitalizationHealth check-upHospital cash allowance |
| Oriental Mediclaim Insurance Policy (Individual) | Min – 1 lakh Max – 10 lakh | 4300+ | Ambulance chargesHospitalization expensesMental illness coverModern treatmentTelemedicine expenses |
| Raheja QuBE Insurance Policy | Min – 1 lakh Max – 50 lakh | 5000+ | In-patient hospitalizationDomiciliary hospitalizationOrgan donor benefitPre-post hospitalization expensesMedical check-up |
| Reliance Health Infinity Insurance Policy | Min – 3 lakh Max – 1 crore | 7300+ | Emergency ambulanceIn-patient careTransportation benefitAYUSH benefitDay care procedures |
| Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme | Min – 5 lakh Max – 50 lakh | 5000+ | Emergency domestic evacuation coverPre-post hospitalization expensesSecond opinionIn-patient hospitalization expensesAnnual health check-up |
| SBI Arogya Premier Policy | Min – 10 lakh Max – 30 lakh | 6000+ | Maternity expensesHospitalization expensesAdvanced treatment proceduresMental illness coverAir ambulance |
| Star Medi Classic Insurance Policy (Individual) | Min – 1.5 lakh Max – 15 lakh | 11,000+ | Pre-post hospitalization expensesIn-patient treatmentModern treatmentPsychiatric & Psychomatic disorderHealth check-up |
| Tata AIG MediCare Insurance Policy | Min – 3 lakh Max – 20 lakh | 7200+ | Day care treatmentIn-patient treatmentCompassionate travelAmbulance coverDomiciliary treatment |
| United India Individual Health Insurance Policy | Min – 2 lakh Max – 20 lakh | 7000+ | Pre-post hospitalization expensesIn-patient Ayurvedic treatmentHealth check-upsDay care proceduresDomiciliary hospitalization |
| Universal Sompo Complete Healthcare Insurance Plan | Min – 1 lakh Max – 10 lakh | 4000+ | OPD treatmentMaternity expensesAccidental dental treatmentIn-patient hospitalizationOrgan donor expenses |
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Disclaimer : *Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by an insurer.