Skip to main content

Medical Insurance: Must for a healthy financial future

Without adequate cover, you may have to dip into savings or borrow, in case of emergencies

It is almost a cliché to say medical costs have rocketed over the years. We all tend to spend a lot of time and grey cells on how to save money for the future to fulfil our various goals like children's education, retirement, home purchase and others. We generally don't give as much thought to medical exigencies as required. Considering, if one does not have a proper medical cover, expenses on medical emergencies can drain out his savings and even put a person in debt. This means your entire future can get compromised by not having a proper medical cover. Medical emergencies don't announce themselves in advance before striking. Therefore, the only thing to do is to be prepared.

For this, you must start by assessing how much cover would be required and look at the probability of covering most events. A `5 lakh cover for an adult should cover 85 - 90 per cent of medical situations. The right approach would be to transfer risk by taking an appropriate medical insurance cover and being prepared to spend if expenses overshoot the same. We generally recommend individual medical covers. A normal medical insurance policy covers hospitalisation and also includes an exhaustive list of day care procedures. They also cover domiciliary hospitalisation and pre- and post hospitalisation medical expenses. In some cases even hospital daily cash and health check-up expense reimbursement may be included. These days most policies allow cashless settlement of all the claims.

Depending on the policy, there could be coverage for some atypical expenses like maternity, dental or even eye care procedures, coming into effect after a certain number of policy years have lapsed. Before selecting a policy, one needs to clearly understand its benefits. Premium alone cannot be the sole consideration for choosing the policy. Claim settlement is of paramount importance. If your insurer of choice has a history of processing claims fast and the policy benefits, too, are good, this insurer's policy should definitely make it to your policy shortlist.

There are people who prefer floaters, which are comparatively cheaper. The benefits are similar, but there is one umbrella cover for the entire family. For a smaller premium, one will have to assume higher risks.

Many who are employed enjoy cover from their employers. This would be a group insurance cover, that generally tends to be more beneficial than a general medical insurance policy. The latter covers pre-existing illnesses from day one and maternity benefits on an immediate basis. Some of these may also allow coverage of parents, who may not otherwise be eligible for medical covers. Some of these policies also allow one to pay further premiums and increase the cover. The premium in a group medical insurance policy are also lower as compared to normal policies.

There is one major downside to it though this cover ceases when one leaves employment. Today, when people are mobile and change jobs frequently, this can become a problem. When a person is in transition from one job to another, there may not be any cover at all. This is a pitfall of depending on a group medical cover. Also, the next employer may or may not have a medical cover as comprehensive. Hence, it is always a good idea to have a separate medical cover, even if you already have one. The separate cover can be at an appropriately lower level.

There are several additional covers like critical illness cover, hospital cash, surgical covers, accident covers and so on. Typically known as riders, these provide additional benefits but are not must haves. There is no end to the extent of security you may want. Whatever choice you make, make it carefully, after considering your needs and premium outgo.

1.        Prior to buying medical insurance, start by assessing the cover needed and look at the probability of covering most ailments

2.        Build a corpus to foot expenses if medical cover falls short

3.        Choose a medical cover based on premium outgo, claim settlement record of the insurer and policy benefits

Riders such as critical illness cover, hospital cash and accident covers provide additional benefits
 

Popular posts from this blog

ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan Invest Online

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Buy Gold Mutual Funds Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300   ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan             Invest Online This fund does remarkably well during falling markets, but fails to show the same prowess during a rising market. The fund sticks to its mandate to adapt to the dynamic nature of the market by shuttling between debt and equity. It takes aggressive asset calls in equity when the market surges by investing in quality mid-cap stocks. At the same time, it adopts a defensive strategy by investing in debt and cash when markets get overvalued, making it a good long-term choice.     For further information contact Prajna Capital on 94 8300 8300 by leaving a missed call     Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300   Leave your comment with mail ID and we will ...
Read more

Lump Sum or SIP?

Invest Mutual Fund Online     You have a lump sum in hand and you wish to invest in equity funds. However, you have heard a lot of talk about investing in equity funds through Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) because they help average costs, ensure you do not ill-time the market, and help you invest in small sums, besides giving you many other advantages. So, should you invest the money you have in hand in one go, or let it remain in your bank account and then do an SIP? There is no harm in investing a lump sum amount. For all you know, compounding, over the long term, could work better with lump sum. However, make sure you fulfill all of these three criteria if you want to invest in one go. Else, SIP is the way to go. #1: You invest for the long term According to past data, ideally, if you have a time frame of 12 years or more, you can consider lump sum investing (provided you satisfy the other two conditions that follow). So, what is the sanctity behind 12 years? Is it because only...
Read more

Feeder funds are the cheapest way to invest in gold

Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Mutual Funds Online Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)   There are four ways to put your money in gold — buying physical gold/jewellery , putting money in gold exchange-traded funds ( ETFs ), investing in a gold savings fund and going for the National Spot Exchange's e-gold. Now, some gold ETFs and e-gold even allow taking physical delivery of gold at the end of investment tenure. That might sound good if you wish to possess physical gold. But, given the firm price of gold today (almost ~31,000 per 10g), it is important that gold is bought through acost-effective avenue. Reason: Investing comes at a price. Add to that, India's gold buying is expected to decline in 2012 and 2013, according to the latest World Gold Council ( WGC )report. WGC Director Vipin Sharma feels gold imports may drop to 800 tonnes from 967 tonnes last year. And the mix between the jeweller...
Read more

Tax Returns: Myths and facts of filing your Tax Returns

THE fiscal year has ended and many choose to make tax-filling. Despite this being a regular, annual ritual, several tax payers have some misconceptions, some of which are listed below: Misconception No. 1 Filing tax returns is a complex and cumbersome process. I need a Chartered Accountant to help me file my tax returns. Contrary to popular belief, preparing and filing tax returns is actually quite simple. If you have a digital signature you can accomplish the entire process sitting at home on your computer thanks to the e-filing facility on www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. Alternatively, you can submit the returns online, print a one-page receipt, sign it and drop it off at the income tax office within fifteen days of submitting the returns. No documents are required to be submitted with the receipt. However, if you want help, there are several third party service providers who offer tax preparation and filing services for a fee as low as Rs 200. Misconception No. 2 The interest I p...
Read more

Stock Market Concepts: Derivatives and taxation

DERIVATIVES refer to an instrument, which derives its value from the value of something else — that is, an underlying asset. In India, the derivatives space has traditionally been the playground for large institutional investors who use it for hedging or for speculative activities. However, with time, we have seen a steep augmentation in the per capita income of an average Indian. Consequently, the appetite for investment in alternative instruments has transcended into the need to explore untested territories, and one of the most lucrative of all the available options, is the derivatives. Taxation Of Derivatives: Let's have a sharp overview of how taxability impacts the dealings in futures and options: Futures: Since, there is no transfer or delivery of the underlying asset in case of futures, the income or loss from it cannot be taxed under the head "capital gains". Therefore, depending upon the fact whether the assessee is a trader or an investor, the head of income...
Read more
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now