Are Chronic Diseases Covered In Health Insurance?

Health has been a major concern lately due to change in the lifestyles of the individuals. The day to day rapid rise in stress, pollution, work load, etc. has led people to become more susceptible to life-threatening diseases. The cost of treatment of these critical illnesses can burn a hole in the individual's pocket as the inflation has been steadily rising in the health sector. Therefore, to protect the individuals against the high cost of treatment and to ensure quality treatment at the private hospitals, the health insurance providers have rolled out comprehensive health insurance plans covering critical diseases at an affordable price.

Critical diseases affect the health and it hampers the day to day life of the patient. Sometimes, these life-threatening diseases can also result in the death of the person if not treated on time with utmost care. Health insurance plans cover the critical diseases to a certain extent but to get a complete sufficient coverage for the costs of critical illnesses, it is wise to invest in a critical illness health insurance plan as it compensates solely for the medical bills that incur during the treatment of a critical disorder.

About Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases are life-threatening and prominent among a large group of people. Possible reasons being the changing environments, pollution, change in lifestyle, stress, medical history, and much more. Some of the common critical diseases are diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, lung ailments, kidney or liver related diseases, etc. The treatment of such critical illnesses can cost an individual their fortune thus, leading them to exhaust their entire financial savings. Therefore, the health insurance providers offer health insurance policies with critical illness coverage or critical illness health insurance plans. These plans compensate for the entire treatment of a critical disease and it is cost-effective, that is it can be bought by people from different groups of the society.

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Are Chronic Diseases Covered In Health Insurance Plans?

Yes, a lot of health insurance providers include critical diseases in their regular health insurance plans and they also offer a wide range of critical illness health insurance plans for the individuals. Some health insurers also cover for the pre-existing medical conditions of the policyholders. However, all these coverages can be availed after a certain period also known as the waiting period which can differ from one insurer to the other. Therefore, while buying a health insurance plan for your chronic illness you must check the waiting period and buy the one with the least waiting period. Also, if you have a medical history then it is advisable to buy a health insurance plan as early as possible to overcome the waiting period. Under such plans, the insurers offer the lump sum payment to the policyholders at the claim settlement process. Along with the medical expenses, it also looks after the expenses of hospitalization, ambulance, room rents, medication, etc.

Factors To Consider While Buying Health Insurance For Chronic Diseases

Let us look at some of the key points that must be considered while investing in a health insurance plan for your chronic disease:

• The plan you choose must have a minimum sum assured of Rs. 10 Lakhs to sufficiently cover for your medical expenses.
• Invest in plans with a lower waiting period so that you can avail its benefits as soon as possible.
• You must carefully go through the exclusions of your policy to avoid any inconvenience at the time of the claiming process.
• Opt for a plan that offers lifetime renewability of services so that you can avail the benefits of your current plan with no maximum age limit.
• The plan you choose should be comprehensive and affordable, that is its premium should be within your financial budget.

Conclusion

Before investing in a health insurance plan for chronic diseases, you must compare and research on several plans and then buy a plan that meets your needs at an affordable price. You must also never hide your pre-existing illness or medical history from the health insurance provider.

Also Read: Why Do You Need A Health Insurance Plan For Vector Borne Diseases?

Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.