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Can Your Health Insurance Plan be a Short-term Investment?

By Juhi Walia
19 October 2022, 3:26 PM

Different people associate different things with a health insurance policy. While many see it as a tax-saving tool, some see it as an investment and others as a safety net. But one idea permeates all of these interpretations: peace of mind. Your funds are shielded from the impact of any medical emergency by your health insurance coverage, providing you with peace of mind.

Plans for health insurance provide consumers with advantages that go beyond simple protection. One of the purchases you will ever make is the most helpful. In addition to the apparent protection against medical costs and financial strain, it is evident that purchasing health insurance can result in significant tax savings. That's why your financial strategy needs to account for health insurance.

Understanding the Factors Involved in Dealing with Health Insurance

Therefore, health insurance coverage is a highly crucial and critical component of everyone's financial planning. Yet, despite this, many make serious errors when acquiring and maintaining health insurance coverage.

Many of us make mistakes while handling our health insurance plans due to our insufficient understanding of the plan's ongoing benefits. Holding on to the plan temporarily and without regularly renewing it is a standard error.

You purchase a health insurance plan that covers you and your family with the best intentions. You are satisfied with the insurance coverage offered, and the ensuing tax consequences are viewed as a free meal.

Although it is a short-term plan, many of us let our insurance lapse after just a few years since we are not fanatical about renewing it yearly. A health plan is sometimes abandoned due to a lack of funds or enthusiasm (because health plans do not always offer an instant advantage). Is the procedure correct? Are health insurance policies a quick investment?

They are not, though. A health plan should be refreshed annually because it is not intended for the short term. The causes are clear-cut to comprehend -

The Advantages 

Your health plan pays up when you require hospitalisation and incur significant expenses. Your plan pays for the bills, and you avoid any financial consequences. Holding onto your strategy would be wise because it is unpredictable when the requirement will arise. For each year without a claim, you might think that your premium payments are ineffective, but instead, you accrue the No Claim Bonus (NCB), which raises your coverage at the exact cost. The coverage given by your insurer far outweighs the premiums you have paid when you have a health insurance claim.

No Claim Bonus 

As previously stated, you are eligible for a no-claim bonus that is cumulative for each year without filing a claim. However, if you cancel your insurance, any accrued no- claim bonus also expires, and you forfeit the benefits.

Waiting Period 

 Your pre-existing conditions are not covered when you purchase a plan for a set amount of time, known as the waiting period. It often lasts between two and four years. Your time spent in the waiting period would be lost if you dropped your finest health insurance plan. After a few years, if you decide to purchase another plan, you will have to go through the waiting period once more.

Read more - Waiting Period Clause in Health Insurance

Coverage 

You can benefit from comprehensive coverage if you are sensible enough to purchase a plan when you are young. If you drop the plan and try to buy another in your later years when you need the coverage, the coverage will be limited. In addition, you would have to make concessions about the coverage as the firm would place many restrictive clauses on your illnesses. The only way to guarantee complete ongoing coverage is to maintain a plan for a more extended period. 

Age Limit 

 If you purchase health insurance at a suitable age, renewing it annually will allow you to take advantage of the policy offerings for a long time. However, if you let your policy lapse for any reason—such as better benefits or the simple belief that it was a waste of money for any year without a claim—you and your family will not be protected from any medical bills during that time.

Additionally, getting health insurance in your later years is more complex than you may imagine. Older people typically have pre-existing problems, and health insurance firms are reluctant to sell them insurance coverage. They are also much more likely to develop diseases or chronic conditions than younger people.

Conclusion

An insurance policy for healthcare cannot be viewed as a short-term investment. All current health insurance plans have the option of lifetime renewal, and to continue receiving the benefits, customers must renew their policies each year. The policyholders will profit from health insurance renewal because it will make it simpler for them to maintain their coverage into later life. So, the wisest action to take is always to purchase and hold onto a plan.

Read more -

FAQs

1. What qualifies as short-term insurance?

Short-term medical insurance with some insurers is sometimes offered for up to 12 months.

2. Why is having a health plan essential?

It's crucial to have health insurance for many reasons. People without insurance have lower health outcomes, receive less timely medical care, are financially burdened for themselves and their families, and receive less medical care overall. Additionally, the advantages of extending coverage outweigh the price of the extra services.

3. What advantages does health insurance offer?

Plans for health insurance provide protection against expensive medical expenses. In addition to many other things, it pays for hospitalisation costs, daycare procedures, domestic expenses, and ambulance fees. Consequently, you can't stop thinking about such huge charges and instead concentrate on making a quick recovery.

4. How long does health insurance last?

Long-term health insurance plans have two to three years, unlike the standard one-year health insurance plan. Therefore, a long-term health plan keeps you covered for two to three years, but your ordinary medi-claim coverage may only be suitable for a year.

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