Policyholders are of the opinion that once they purchase a health insurance policy and get the necessary documents ready, there is not much left to do. But this is not really the case. After you insure your health with an insurer, you need to think of ways to get the best benefit out of it.
Here are five ways how you can utilize your health insurance in a beneficial way.
1) Understand Your Rights and Privileges
Make certain you go through and understand the health insurance policy, prior to the purchase. Find out about your entitlements and what kind of coverage you are going to obtain. Read the terms and conditions well and if there is a clause you do not understand, do not hesitate to ask your agent about the same. Better still, go to aggregator websites and seek clarifications. Only when you are clear about everything, you can get the optimal benefit out of the same.
2) Purchase Additional Cover
Medical costs are on a constant rise so it makes sense to buy additional cover to be on the safer side. If you have exhausted the amount on your regular policy you can opt to purchase a top-up policy. This helps you use your regular health policy for general claims while the top-up policy for a one-time expensive hospital bill. Remember, it is perfectly natural and even beneficial to have more than one health insurance policy.
3) Make a list of the Enrolled Hospitals
You need to compare health insurance plans and find the best one, make a list of hospitals your insurance company is tied to. It is better to do this in advance as when you have a list of empanelled hospitals before you and an emergency strikes, you know you have to head to one of these hospitals. By chance, if you are admitted in a hospital that is not enrolled on the list, you have to pay a huge medical bill.
4) Make your Family Aware about the Policy
If the family does not know about the health insurance policy, they may not file a cashless claim or there could be delays in registering a claim. This leads to bearing the medical expenses yourself. Keep a copy of the policy document handy and let your spouse/family know about the same. They should know how to start the claim process, if the need arises.
5) Increase Sum Insured
You need an adequate sum insured, if you want to rise above the prevailing inflation level. If it isn’t then your health insurance plan proves to be insufficient during times of emergency. Check your insurance cover every now and then. If you get a 10% or higher increase in the cover, accept it. If not, you can always choose a top-up policy.
Rather than simply thinking about purchasing a health insurance policy, it is better to go ahead and first compare and then buy a good one. You need to consider few parameters about health insurance policy like claim management process, network hospitals, coverage, age limits, exclusions and much more. You can opt for policy and which is easy, convenient and quick to purchase and renew. Just keep in touch with the latest happenings in the health insurance frontier and judge accordingly. Make sure you voice out your requirements, compare the type of plans that are available and accordingly set the best coverage for you.
