How Do I Get Coverage for Health Insurance?

Getting health insurance coverage starts with understanding your needs and health status. Once you know what kind of protection you want for yourself and your loved ones, the remaining process is easy. In situations where you may require a big or small treatment, a long hospital stay, or face more than one health problem in a year, you can be worry-free with the health insurance coverage.

To get the right health insurance coverage, you need to keep the following in mind:

• Assess Your Needs and Medical History:The process of getting health insurance coverage starts by assessing your healthcare needs and medical status. The right coverage depends on several key inputs, such as medical history, lifestyle, and the type of plan, whether an individual or a family floater plan. For a single person, a standalone policy may be sufficient; meanwhile, those looking to support their families should consider getting floater plans. These plans cover the entire family under a single sum insured.


• Your and other members’ ages:Consider your and other members’ ages before you get health insurance coverage. It is recommended to buy a policy when you are young to reduce the premium and get more benefits. Once you cross a tagged age, the coverage span decreases, and you will have to bear more from your pocket.


• Check the Scope of Coverage:Health insurance should help you during actual medical situations. It should cover hospitalisation expenses, pre- and post-hospitalisation costs, daycare procedures, and so on. This ensures not only that you and your family are protected during hospitalisation, but also offers peace of mind to the patient as well as their family.


• Check Hospital Network and Accessibility:A policy should have a wide network of hospitals that allows the patient to receive cashless treatment. Network hospitals are hospitals that have agreements with a health insurance company to provide cashless treatment to policyholders. If the health insurance policyholder undergoes treatment at a network hospital, then the health insurance company will directly settle the bills with the hospital. Meanwhile, if you receive treatment at a non-network hospital, then you may need to pay for the treatment from your own pocket and later apply for reimbursement.


• Understand Policy Terms and Conditions:Along with the above-mentioned aspects, it is equally important to understand the policy conditions, such as waiting periods, exclusions, and sub-limits, to avoid unpleasant surprises later. For example, if you want to claim for a pre-existing condition, you may need to wait for 2-3 years, and for initial claims, you may be asked to wait for 30 days.

Getting health insurance is about choosing a plan that offers numerous benefits and can be helpful when you need it.