Please Note:
Print
Email this Page
Health insurance may not be mandatory, but there’s no denying that it is extremely important. Not many of us understand the importance of it, and tend to take it for granted. Be it generic health insurance plans or a mediclaim insurance plan, having one in place provides you peace of mind knowing you’ll be financially covered for any unforeseen medical emergencies. Be it rising medical bills or securing a health cover for your family in the form of a family floater plan, health insurance matters a lot in the present day and age. At IFFCO Tokio, we help you make an informed decision, and at the same time recommend you to go through the online health insurance reviews as thoroughly as you can.
Typically, having a health insurance policy is always procrastinated. Even if salaried employees have an option to pick it out as a part of their company compensation, most of them buy health insurance policies online as a tax saving option as they extend it to their immediate dependents such as spouse, parents and even kids. However, not many of them realise that a health insurance policy is more than just a tax saving instrument, it is a financial blanket for your family during medical procedures and emergencies.
The major advantages of health insurance plans are as follows:
Imagine a scenario where you are a salaried employee and your family is struck by a medical emergency. Not having the funds in hand can leave you in a financially demanding situation. Further, this lack of medical contingency makes you realise the importance of having your health insurance sorted and in place with the right mediclaim policy.
Save Yourself from Inflated Medical Bills
Let’s face it; hospital bills are not minimalistic as it used to be ten years ago. Instead of saving and keeping that extra money idle in your bank account, make it work and invest it in the best health insurance plans in India which will save you the hassles of haggling with the hospital authorities. Even if the medical sciences have improved and developed over the years, it is always recommended that you stay prepared and aware of any kind oflife-threatening diseases which may strike anytime.
Finding out and selecting the best health insurance plan or a mediclaim policy can be a tedious task. As you start looking for a health insurance policy, in particular, you start asking several questions to yourself and the service provider. Which is the best health insurance policy for a family? Which health insurance plans are best suited for you as an individual? Should you or should you not opt for a mediclaim policy at all? Which health insurance policy will provide the maximum coverage?
Being aware of the need to have a health insurance policy is one of the major steps where you know that you are headed in the right direction. Health insurance policies by IFFCO Tokio offer you the prerogative to choose from a number of health insurance plans which can save you from those hefty medical bills. Therefore, for many, the best health insurance plans in India are a boon in disguise.
If you are looking forward to buy an IFFCO Tokio health insurance policy online, choose a health insurance plan that provides cashless hospitalization and reimburses all your medical bills as listed in the policy document. It is essential that you read the policy wordings before buying a mediclaim policy. Now, even when you are ready to buy a health insurance policy, you still tend to get confused because there are so many plans which make deciding difficult. Start the process by understanding the different types of health insurance plans: -
Such health insurance plans are designed especially for anyone over the age of 55 years. Senior citizens can avail protection against diseases in their old age with the best health insurance plans in India. All health insurance providers are obligated to cover individuals up to the age of 80as they roll out mediclaiminsurance i.e. health insurance benefits to the public.
A family health plan is one of the best health insurance plans in India which includes all your family members effortlessly under a single medical policy. In case you are looking for something comprehensive, a family floater mediclaim policy is what you need. Even if the price is marginally higher, the health insurance benefits of the plan can be availed by whoever is covered under the health insurance policy. Be it claims or advantages, your family is always covered.
One of the most important features and offers by major health insurance providers is the individual health insurance plan. As you are starting off, an individual health insurance plan is what you look forward to purchase. It protects you against several diseases be it critical or regular, along with cashless hospitalization facilities, ambulance expenses, so on and so forth. The sum insured in the offer document is applicable only to the person who is purchasing the policy. The premium for such a mediclaim policy, however is determined by your lifestyle, your age, location, life expectancy records and the likes, and can be calculated using a health insurance calculator. The individual is covered against all health odds listed in the policy document, and becomes entitled to get the policy benefits.
The best health insurance plansin India come with an array of benefits. Even then, there are a few points of coverage which might still be missing from the main plan. Therefore, you need to have a rider plan or an add-on in place to ensure that you get the maximum coverage and benefits. Surgery and critical illness plans are such standalone and riders which have to be purchased along with cheaper mediclaiminsurance policies which do not offer them as a primary plan. Critical illnesses such as cancer, paralysis, kidney failure, heart attack and the likes demand additional care and protection because the treatment and reimbursement amount is so high. Critical illness is always applicable to a terminal disease which is exclusively called out by the mediclaiminsurance policy provider. Therefore, buy an online health insurance policy which provides a lump sum benefit when you are diagnosed with any kind of terminal conditions (as covered in the critical illness insurance plan). It could be one or more, but it has to be listed by the insurance provider.
A personal accident cover clause protects you from any mishaps that might occur on the road, and that is what this is all about. It is a standard health plan which is provided to people who spend most of their time travelling. It is a health insurance policy customised for their benefit. It includes the cost of hospitalisation, medical expenses and the likes. Even if the health insurance benefits are fixed and allow the payment of a specified sum due to unforeseen circumstances, the pay-out is not fixed and varies from provider to provider. Therefore, the best health insurance plans in India are those that come integrated with policy riders, which can help you stay protected and covered when it comes to hospitalization charges in the event of an accident or anything serious which is unanticipated.
Preventive healthcare refers to the process of getting yourself medically examined to stay aware and alert. In case you are aware of any recurring diseases in your family, it is always advised that you undergo regular tests to stay updated on your health front. Regular health check-ups, X-Rays, consultation fees, MRIs, etc. are considered as the basic tests when it comes to defining a preventive health check-up process. The plan is to stay healthy, and it should not be otherwise. No one wants to fall sick, and it is always better to be safe than sorry. Preventive medical care not only helps you take care of yourself in a better way but also focuses on detecting those life-threatening diseases as early as possible.
Before you buy an online health insurance policy, many health insurance providers recommend that you undergo a medical test in order to identify the degree of fitness before suggesting a plan to you. Pre-existing diseases get covered 2-4 years after the policy has commenced. These diseases can be anything ranging from hypertension, cancer, kidney failure, diabetes, etc. These are the diseases that the insurance provider should be aware of before you purchase a mediclaim policy.
A pragmatic approach to choosing the right mediclaim policy is to understand all the different policy types on offer, and read the health insurance reviews before buying.
Health insurance helps protect you from the high costs of health care. It helps you pay for doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs and important preventive care.
A health insurance policy by IFFCO Tokio has a myriad of advantages that are difficult to overlook. Given that the cost of health care is increasing with every passing day, it is necessary that you look for options which allow you to stay carefree without worrying about them. It does not make sense spending thousands of rupees on preventive health check-up every month when you can stay covered against all odds with a comprehensive health insurance policy. Therefore, understanding what online health insurance plans by IFFCO Tokio can do for you, is essential when you are seriously considering purchasing one.
Medical insurance plans offered by IFFCO Tokio have a range of network hospitals that they partner with in general. These network hospitals are also known as the empanelled hospitals. If you are admitted into one of these hospitals, you do not have to pay anything. All you need to do is mention the policy number, your service provider’s name and other essential details during admission to avail the best facilities available. Such a mediclaim policy is best suited for individuals who do not like the extra effort of handling paperwork after getting discharged. The documentation, billing and every other thing that is supposed to cause stress to you are handled internally by IFFCO Tokio and the hospital. In case the expenses are beyond your specified limits, or if any of the items in the bill are marked as not applicable by the insurance provider, it is supposed to be settled by you in person.
This is one of the key features of the best health insurance plans available in India these days. It takes care of pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses which can range from a period of 30-60 days depending on the kind of health insurance you buy. The number of days you spend in the hospital before and after treatment determines your pre and post-hospitalization scenario and coverage.
Even if the term seems familiar, it is slightly different from what you might have come across. Cumulative Bonus is one of the features where you are entitled to a increment in sum insured if you have not made any claims against your health insurance plan. This can be availed at the time of when you renew health insurance. Breezing through online health insurance reviews can help you understand how cumulative Bonus adds up over the years in different types of health policies.
Ambulances are necessary during emergencies. However, you can always avail ambulance facilities with your mediclaim plan or that online health insurance policy. The entire cost of ambulance is borne by IFFCO Tokio. It is one of the add-on benefits that is on offer along with the health insurance plans that you choose for you and your family.
As mentioned earlier, preventive health check-ups help you stay afloat with your health conditions. It is for this very reason that prevention is better than cure. Medical tests help you understand the nuances of your current health conditions and take steps to fix it if it goes haywire. It could be controlling your diet to control diabetes or cholesterol levels, a preventive health check-upis recommended for all. However, a full body check-up is indeed expensive. In case you are a woman, it is suggested that you undergo mammography to detect breast cancer in early stages. Biopsies are indeed not frugal at all. If you belong to a lower income group, it could cost you a month’s saving as well. In instances like these, having one of the best health insurance plans comes in handy. You could opt for a mediclaimpolicy that allows you to claim reimbursement on the health check-up packages, so that you can prevent contracting diseases that you are at.
It is not possible to discuss benefits of the best health insurance plans in India and not mention the tax benefits. A mediclaim policy is indeed one of the most important tax saving instruments which not only helps you save that extra tax money but also protects your family easily with a comprehensive health insurance policy. Medical or Health Insurance plans are eligible for deductions and rebates under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act. It can be availed by you and your spouse if they have a separate individual health insurance plan. It alsoextends to family members who are not even dependent on you. It is indeed very comprehensive when it comes to the total amount that you can save as taxes from your recurring medical bills. The maximum rebate amount is capped at ₹25,000 if you are below the age of 60 and it goes up to ₹30,000 if you are a senior citizen. If your parents are senior citizens and are dependent on you, a deduction of ₹55,000 is allowed for you. So, now you can take care of your parents and your dependents without any worries, and avail tax benefits as well.
Most of the organizations offer health coverage plans for their employees as a part of the total compensation paid by the company. These are usually among some of the best health insurance plans in India and claim to cover the employee, their spouses, their children, and even parents. It is always advised that you do sign up for a mediclaim policy at work because you get decent medical coverage within a low premium amount. As employees, we are so occupied with work that we tend to ignore multiple reminders which pertain to premium payments. The group size and the health insurance benefits opted for by your company determines the premium that is deducted from your annual package.
However, the company is responsible for paying the premiums here, and they do it regularly keeping you secure. But, is that all? Probably not! There is always a fear in the mind from which stems several questions. What if you leave the job? Would it stop the coverage? How would you manage if your online health insurance policy is no longer in force because you switched to someplace else? The best person to allay your fears is your in-house human resources department. They are aligned with the policies and are the best people to enlighten you about the coverage criteria. If you feel that the health insurance plan offered to you is not enough and that you need more, you can do that because there is always a scope for expansion when it comes to the best health insurance plans in India.
You can opt for an additional plan and cover which would result in an increase in premium. You could go to a third party vendor or even the same service provider whom your company has tied up with. To plan your finances better, it is ideal to calculate the premium deducted by using a health insurance calculator, so that you know if you are getting sufficient coverage through your health insurance plan or not.
Choosing from a myriad of the best health insurance plansin India is a challenge even if you are well equipped with the information that is needed to pick one out. However, we have a checklist that lets you pick out the best mediclaim policy depending on your requirement. It could be anything ranging from a couple of pointers such as keeping an eye out for the sub-limits, or every day medical expenses that the company claims to bear, or even those ambulances charges. Let’s find out:
Never go for a company which has a track record of delayed claim settlements. The credibility of the insurance provider is determined widely by the claim settlement record, be it car insurance or a mediclaim policy. Delayed payments, late response, etc. are glaring red flags which tell you to steer clear of a service provider. It could be possible that your claims are nullified based on some absurd reason or is wrongly withheld by the company. Therefore, do a background check and find out the claim settlement ratio. The higher and the quicker it is, the better – that’s exactly what IFFCO Tokio offers. It saves your time and saves you from the inconvenience which you would otherwise have to go through trying to claim your bills. This is one aspect that you get to know clearly about when you read health insurance reviews.
Online health insurance plans i.e. mediclaim insurance policies by IFFCO Tokio recommend that you get treated at network hospitals, for a reason. Therefore, it is essential that you reach out to those network hospitals when you are in need of medical assistance. It is necessary that you check before you leap into a hospital for treatment believing it to be covered by the insurance company. With simple precaution, your family is saved from the troubles of collecting all medical documents, and thereafter arranging them to file for reimbursements. Since the mediclaim insurance provider is tied up with a hospital, listing it as a network hospital, the bills are settled internally. In case the sub-limits are breached, the cost has to be borne by you as an extra expense. It might sound unviable, but eventually, it is a part of the sum assured to you, and is logical.
The amount to be paid has sub-limits and other maximum caps which have to be kept in mind, so make sure you read about everything that is covered in your mediclaim insurance plan with IFFCO Tokio. There might be a pre and post hospitalization advantage which might give you an edge, but you need to keep in mind the sub-limits which are defined in the base plan. There is always an imposition which can be because of the co-payment benefits and the sub-limit features. To make the most of a IFFCO Tokio health insurance policy, one needs to understand how the sub-limits in their own plan are calculated (ideally using a health insurance calculator) such that they can choose a proper hospital where the medical expenses will be taken care of by the insurance policy itself, in order to avoid spending out of the pocket in general. Most of the times, customers are in a rush to sign a mediclaim document, because of which they forget to read the terms and conditions which has the value and cap of the sub-limits. In instances like those where coverage is not provided and claims are rejected, they end up assuming that trusting an online health insurance plan was a bane than a boon. Save yourself from such hassles; read the offer documents and the policy coverage carefully, and always watch out for the sub-limitsbefore buying a mediclaim policy.
Given that you have selected one of the affordable health insurance plans, do you know it may not cover all your illnesses? All health insurance plans do not offer total medical coverage and are restricted to a specific diseases and conditions. Therefore, as a customer and insurance buyer, it is your responsibility to go through the complete list of diseases that are covered by your provider. If an insurance provider claims to provide the best health insurance plans in India, charges higher premiums for the same, yet gives ambiguous details of the policy coverage, steer clear. This ambiguous information can cause a lot of discomfort and inconvenience when the need to utilize your health insurance plan arises. At IFFCO Tokio, complete transparency in information is what we advocate.
Instead of just comparing the price before you buy an online health insurance policy, focus majorly on the coverage criteria. Look out for riders that are available to protect you further from different diseases such that you can afford treatment for any medical emergency that comes unannounced in your family. Be it cancer, heart attack, dialysis, or even anything along similar lines, staying covered is all that should matter; IFFCOTokio does that for you.
Gone are the days when you had to run from office to office, pillar to post to renew health insurance. It was a tedious task as such. Given that everyone is a workaholic these days,forgetting to pay the premium to keep your health insurance coverage active is not uncommon. If that is the case with you as well, it is time to go online. Most of the health insurance plans in India have now embraced the digital movement and are now available online, including us at IFFCO Tokio. So, if you want to renew an IFFCO Tokio policy, all you need to do is visit our website, key in your policy number with your email ID and password, fill in the details and make an online premium payment. It not only helps you stay updated with your plans, renewals, and amount to be paid but also keeps you on your toes. We will tell you how.
Online health insurance plans by IFFCO Tokio are available on the payment of an annual premium. This annual premium is the contract amount that you are obligated to pay in order to stay covered. You can calculate the same with a health insurance calculator.
Failure to pay this amount can lead to policy lapse, leaving you and your family exposed to risk and danger. Similarly, with mediclaiminsurance policies, it is usually an annual contract which needs to be renewed every year without fail so that you get the maximum health insurance benefit whenever it is required. Through our online portal, you can renew health insurance at the click of a button. With online payment options and suggestions, you can even set up an automatic standing instruction with your respective bank, such that the amount is deducted at the end of every year when the premium amount is due. Also, always stay updated with your policy plans and renewal dates to ensure uninterrupted health insurance coverage.
Everyone deserves health plans i.e. medical insurance plans, and IFFCO Tokio believes in providing the best health insurance plans to its customers. It has embraced the diversity of income groups available in India and has rolled out the best health insurance plans in India which are affordable and cover a wide range of diseases. Be it a serious illness, casualty, emergency, critical illness or hospitalization, with IFFCO Tokio one can be sure that it would stand by you through all tough times. Be it a mediclaim policy or an add-on cover, choose the best medical insurance plans at IFFCO Tokio.
The major highlight of IFFCO Tokio is its chain of network hospitals which is close to 5000+ across the country. Moreover, it has less waiting period for all pre-existing diseases. The claim settlement ratio is around 92%,andthere is a customer service portal that is available 24x7 for all days around the year which boasts of 99.93% of complaint resolution with a shorter turn-around time. Moreover, you don’t have to run from pillar to post to renew health insurance; you can now do it online.
At IFFCO Tokio, we give you plans which ensure that you are free from the stress of bearing medical expenses in hospitalization. It is not only about freedom from piling up medical bills, but the features and the coverage of the plans are such that it assists you at all times, be it the case of physical damage, loss of health or any other troubling times, it supports you across all aspects.
If you plan to buy an online health insurance plan from IFFCO Tokio, read our online health insurance reviews to see what other customers are saying about our health insurance products. Post that, all you need to do is log in to the website and follow a few simple steps to buy that health insurance policy you spent hours browsing for. Do you have to go to a branch to sort the process out? Not really. Once you have short-listed the product purchase it at the click of a button. You can always create an account on the website. For health insurance renewal, log in with your policy number, username and password to access the page which has all the details of your mediclaim policy. The plan you chose, the date of purchase, the renewal date, the premium due, so on and so forth. You can make payments online easily with payment modes such as net banking, credit cards, debit cards, mobile wallets and the likes, all available at a few clicks
But before you buy, do you know what health insurance plans that IFFCO-Tokio has to offer to you? Does it have something for you as an individual? Does it have something for your family? Does it have anything for your new-born? Let’s find out: -
You also get a cumulative and no claim bonus on your plan.
Any disability which is not listed in the terms is analysed by the doctor and reimbursed accordingly.
Offer cash benefits to the kith and kin of the insured such that basic expenses such as transportation, food, accommodation etc. are taken care of easily without adding additional burden on them.
A flagship company founded at the beginning of the millennium, IFFCO Tokio is a joint venture between the IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-Operative) and its associated groups, mainly Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire. The latter two have been very popular in Japan in terms of the insurance business, and have been pioneers in their field when it comes to rolling out different yet stable insurance products. 18 years of business in the country it has a wide customer base which trusts the brand for its values, mission and vision.
Its innovation distribution channel has established as one of the best insurance companies across several World Payment Reports. The Strategic Business unit has been instrumental in rolling customised plans and policies for a myriad of customers who come from all aspects of the society. The core of the business believes that everyone deserves the best and it works round the clock to maintain that principle.
Need more reasons to believe in the brand. We have plenty of them.
A number of plans are either segmented under group health insurance plans or individual health plans, rest assured as you would get nothing but the best.
When you are young, buying an individual health insurance plan makes more sense because you do not have any dependents on you. Moreover, due to a premium loading clause, you can buy such health insurance plans which are well within your budget. However, whenever you get married and have dependent parents, spouse and kids, it is one of the major concerns that their health should be covered too. In such circumstances, a family floater plan is beneficial for multiple reasons. It could be because you pay a lower premium for all of them combined. It could be because a co-payment option can help all of you stay covered at a nominal premium amount. It could be because you protect your family and save heavily on taxes instead of splurging it on anything else. A family health plan is always great, and it should be purchased after you have analysed the premium amounts, so on and so forth. You can always buy an online health insurance policy that mentions the cost of covering them, the ages, the health conditions, the coverage of pre-existing diseases, critical illnesses, ambulance cost and other health benefits which the plan was purchased for in the first place.
Well, initially when online health insurance plans were introduced in India, even if the plan was not great and some of them were purchased, customers were unable to switch from one insurance company to another in spite of dissatisfaction. This wasn’t really customer-centric. However, customers can now switch to IFFCO Tokio in case they are not satisfied with the services with their current health insurance provider. One might wonder if this comes at the cost of losing the waiting period or the sum assured or any diminishing health insurance benefits. That is taken care of,and you do not have to worry about it. According to IRDA regulations, you should be able to retain your waiting period advantages and not lose out on any of them. Even if it is at a certain cost of the switch, you can still make use of it when you are switching to a better insurance provider with better benefits. But why would you port your mediclaim policy when you have chosen something else already? Well, for finding a better medical insurance policy. Before you go ahead with it, read through the online health insurance reviews.
Restore Benefits Available
Every healthcare plan by IFFCO Tokio allows you to have a couple of restore benefits. But what does that mean for you? Restore benefits is the protocol of facilities that allow you to restore the basic sum assured. If you have spent the sum assured allocated to you, you can always apply for a restore benefit. However, be aware that you can claim it on the same ailment over and over again as it is not allowed by most of the insurance providers. But, why would you do that? These health insurance benefits come handy when you have chosen a family floater plan. Most of the times, during the usage of a family floater plan, the entire sum assured gets consumed during treatment of an individual family member which leave no policy amount for the other members which expose them to risk. However, insurance holders can claim an advantage and ask the provider to renew or restore the benefits of the sum assured for other members of the family such that the cover is still intact. However, it cannot be claimed for the same disease that was already covered in the first case. In such cases, most of the mediclaim policy buyers choose an additional top-up plan which comes in handy for most of the cases and is comprehensive too without any hassles.
Top Up Plans and Other Riders
Medical inflation is unavoidable, and it keeps scaling up every year. Therefore, adjusting to the rising medical costs is of utmost importance given that a medical emergency can occurat anytime. As an informed insurance buyer, it becomes your responsibility to stay updated and alert at all times. This can include renewing your health insurance policy or when you buy a new health insurance policy. For example, mediclaiminsurance policies have a lifespan of one year, and it has to be renewed every single year. Medical insurance plans, on the other hand, provide coverage across all lifestyle diseases, critical disease et al., have comparatively higher premiums. But that does not mean that you go without a mediclaim policy, also referred to as a health insurance plan. You can always buy a basic health insurance policy online with IFFCO Tokio, and top it up with other riders known as a top-up plan to keep yourself protected. The top-up plan comes at a lower premium and is always recommended when you are looking for affordable health insurance plans. Make sure you read online health insurance reviews as well before making a selection.
Additionally, it reduces the cost of deductibles. It is a simpler way of saying that the cost of the health insurance claim that you need to pay before the insurance provider processes your claim reimbursement, is lower. This reimbursement amount could be the sum assured or the minimum plan amount. A top up policy allows you to have a safe pocket until the hospital expends or exhausts its defined limits. Therefore, it makes top up plans a better option than the regular stand-alone medical insurance plans.
The Waiting Period for the Plan to Become Active
Every health insurance policy has a minimum waiting period before which it can be deemed active. But what does that mean for you as a customer? The waiting period can be defined as the minimum span of time you should wait for before your diseases start getting covered by the plan. A minimum of 30days is always applicable on most of the health insurance plans in India. The reason being, the insuranceprovider, cannot deny the health insurance claim or cannot reject the claim once it is made after the waiting period is over. It can be spread across various conditions, and it is necessary that one be aware how the waiting period concept works before you buy an online health insurance plan.
Say you have various other ailments or medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid issues, high blood pressure, so on and so forth as identified pre-policy purchase conditions which need to be covered as a part of the plan. The medical insurance provider in such a case allows its health underwriters to conduct medical tests and analyse the reports which you provide them with. The impact assessment of the medical report allows them to understand the intensity of the disease at a greater length. It is a kind of proposal which can be accepted or rejected as well as postponed depending on the assessment score your reports fetch. If the health condition is liable enough to be covered by the health insurance provider, it entitles the buyer to a waiting period of a minimum 4 years. The hospitalization expenses, the medical bills and every other reimbursement which is associated with these pre-medical diseases, can be claimed completely, only after four years. Therefore, most of the providers recommend that you sign up for the best health insurance policy early in your life wherein the premium (can be arrived at using a health insurance calculator) and the waiting period is lower. Therefore, whenever the need is, you can claim your medical reimbursement without any delay or wait time.
Let’s face it, the world is a dangerous place, and that is why we need medical insurance plans. There are multiple policies which cover you when you are pregnant, and these covers extend to your newborn as well. However, as you grow older, different ailments such as problems with the ears, nose throat, bones, hernia and others do show up without notice, and it is essential that you stay prepared and covered for whatsoever might be the case. A general health insurance policy has a waiting period is 4 years for pre-existing diseases. But ailments, as mentioned earlier, have a waiting period of 1-2 years depending on the intensity of the ailment identified by the underwriters when drafting medical insurance plans. Again, this varies from provider to provider, and you need to choose someone who has a lower duration of waiting for coverage criteria. A general health insurance plan which extends to accidental insurance has a minimum waiting period of 1 month in most of the cases. It is every vehicle owner’s responsibility to get an accidental insurance policy and also renew that health insurance plan every year. As we know, road accidents amount to the highest number of deaths in the country.
It exclusively depends on the kind of health insurance policy you buy at IFFCO Tokio. You could get an individual health insurance plan in general but cannot expect it to cover all the critical illnesses that one is prone to without paying an extra premium. Therefore, it is essential that you scrutinise the plan coverage before you choose any. Different plans offer different coverage features few of which might be common to all. However, not all of them have the same features, and this is the key to choosing the best health insurance plan in India.
Most common features available in an online health insurance policy or mediclaim policy are as follows:
The above features are exclusively known as Inpatient Hospital expenses or the general hospital expenses when you are physically present in the hospital for treatment. However, it isnot essential that 100% of the medical expense would be borne by IFFCO Tokio. Every ailment and the level of treatment is always called out clearly in the policy document called terms and conditions, and one needs to pay special attention to that. However, hospitalisation expenses are borne only and only if your policy has a pre and post hospitalization expenses mentioned. The criteria also depend on the number of hours you are admittedto the hospital for and it is expected to be a minimum of 24 hours.
As the name recommends, pre-hospitalization expenses are the expenses cover all your medical expenses before you are admittedto the hospital. It can include medical check-ups and diagnosis to analyse the ailment in general.
Post-hospitalization expenses amount to the sum of the bill which must be paid after the patient is discharged. It can be the amount that the patient in question is charged for any post hospitalization activities such as follow up visits, routine tests, unsealing the stitches and the likes. Therefore, you can be sure that the mediclaim policy that you purchase or the health insurance plan that you sign up for would cover these basic necessary expenses.
Sometimes, the disease or the symptoms that a patient incurs might require hospitalization for less than 24 hours. Few medical procedures allow the patients to go home on the day of a minor surgery. Advanced medical equipment has made it simpler for common people to lead normal lives even if they have had a surgery a few hours ago. These day care procedures or minor surgical operations can be counted as out-patient features in the mediclaim insurance or the health insurance plan and allow the patients to procure maximized benefits at a reasonable cost. These procedures can include ENT treatments where you can get the ear wax removed or get the liquid instated; it could be a radiology therapy such as an MRI scan or an X-Ray for an anticipated fracture. Cataract operations, middle ear reconstructions, tympanoplasty, ophthalmology related surgeries, incision of tear glands and other minor operations comprise the likes of day care procedures.
Most of the times, people with a conservative mind-set want to be treated in the comfort of their homes instead of going to the hospital due to personal preferences. Almost all mediclaim insurance products, including online health insurance plans, allow this feature and do not distinguish a professional nursing set up from a domiciliary one. It could also be one of the alternatives when the patient is not liable to be moved from their home to the hospital due to logistic constraints or those of the medical condition. It could also be because the network hospital does not have enough means and resources to accommodate the patient any of the wards. Under such circumstances, medical isolation at home or domiciliary facility is made available to the insurance holder where treatment is meted out to the patient at their residence for at least 3 days. In case of rider plan, this could also be extended to a greater span.
Daily Cash allowance is a unique feature, and not many service providers offer that. The family becomes liable to pay a bulk amount when it comes to transportation, food, accommodation at the hospital while taking care of their loved ones who are admittedto the hospital for obvious reasons. These petty expenses can come across as less when done on a day to day basis. However, a consolidated amount is always higher than anticipated and can be a burden to the family who already has to struggle with the ill health of their member. On top of that, if the sole income bearer of the family succumbs to ill-fated circumstances, it is, nevertheless, one of the toughest situations anyone can be in. Keeping such liabilities in mind, mediclaim insurance policyholders are allowed cash allowances where a pre-determined fixed amount is given to the caretaker who can spend it to make ends meet when in the hospital.
Health checks up are always a preventive measure. It could be a basic health check-up or even a master check-up which ensures that all physiological functions are in place and do not require any further treatment. As a policyholder, it is your responsibility that you walk into any network hospital and reimburse that bill. The insurer is liable to bear all the cost irrespective of the amount on the bill. Be it a regular X-ray, urine test, complete blood count test or anything along those lines, you can be carefree when it comes to keeping yourself safe and protected from the diseases.
Inclusions are always in favour of the customer who jumps at the perspective of it. However, as little informed we are, the more dangerous it gets. Why one might question! Exclusions usually do not cross our mind, and most of the terms which we assume will be covered in the policy are excluded because it does not meet certain terms and conditions.
However harsh that might sound, a proper mediclaim policy in place should always be scrutinizedin order to get the maximum benefits out of it. Exclusions form a major part of the contract which is duly ignored by most of us without a second thought. Therefore, financial gurus always suggest that you read exclusions before you jump to conclusions. Let’s have a look at the common exclusions.
Therefore, look before you leap to buy an online health insurance policy. A detailed scrutiny can help you make an informed decision about the plan which you have been looking forward to for yourself and the well-being of your family.
Claims with IFFCO Tokio can be made in two ways. Your insurance provider offers either a Reimbursement Processor a Cashless Claim Process. But how do you approach these processes if you are not aware how do they work? Read on to understand the nuances of the claims.
1) Cashless Claim Process
Cashless, as the name recommends, frees you from the pain of handling cash in bulk. So how do you pay the bills? As an insurance provider, you become liable to provide your insurance details to the hospital in order to avail their facilities. It could be with the help of physical proof or even an e-card which is issued during the mediclaim policy purchase. Based on these proofs only, the hospital accepts your request to treat you and process the claims accordingly. However, the illness for which you have been admitted requires that that disease is covered under your insurance plan. After you are discharged from the hospital, it is the responsibility of the hospital to forward all the bills to the insurance provider.
As soon as these bills are received by the hospital, the bills are scrutinized thoroughly by the respective departments to understand the nature of expense, and settle the payment such that all dues are cleared. This process is known as a cashless settlement where payment instruction flows between the hospital and the insurance provider. As an insurance holder, you do not have to keep track of the bills physically or stress about how to pay the medical bills.
But as an insured citizen, how do you go about the claim anyway? Well, there are a couple of methods which can be kept in mind when you face such dilemma.
Sometimes, doctors inform you prior to the surgery that you would need to undergo one. It could be any treatment for a matter of fact which needs prior preparation. Under such circumstances, you can always give your insurance provider heads up at least 4 days prior to seeking treatment at the network hospital. However, the time frame varies from provider to provider. That is not the end of it. As an insurance holder, you need to submit a cashless claim form to the provider physically or through electronic media such as email or fax. The post is also widely accepted in the country, however, slow it might be. As soon as the insurance agency is informed about the plan, they coordinate the future processes with the hospital and the insured about the process progress status. All the insurance holder needs to do is provide their health card at the hospital during admission for the process to get initiated.
Not all illnesses are planned or arrive after informing an individual. Emergencies or casualties comprise a major fraction of hospital admissions. So, what does one do when they face something unplanned or unforeseen? The kith and kin of the insured can always contact the customer care of the insurance provider and inform them of such a case. The customer care representative can find the nearest cashless facility and recommend it. However, on arrival, it now becomes the prerogative of the hospital to fill up a cashless claim form and submit it to the insurance provider who would have already informed them of the situation. The form is analysed by the healthcare department,and they revert with the details of coverage of the health insurance policy to the hospital. All medical bills are taken care of by the insurance company. In case, the claim is rejected or not processed, the hospital and the insured are informed of the rejection reason with proper details. Keeping track of the same and following it up to completion until a settlement is what the insured must ensure after discharge. Hospitals bills have terms and conditions too which need to be taken care off. The sooner you fix the rejection criteria and process the payment to completion; it would be an additional burden which would bother you even after your illnesses are cured. It is always suggested that if you buy an online health insurance plan, keep your close ones informed about the details such as the mediclaimpolicy number, policy coverage, customer care centre dialling number and the likes such that they do not have to look around for financial help instead of looking after you.
2) Claim Through Reimbursement Process
This one is a little tricky for the insured since the process demands that they have to claim it from the service provider after they have been discharged.in simple words, it means that you pay your bills initially and apply for reimbursement later to get the entire amount back. In such cases, it is not mandatory that the hospital you seek treatment from, be a network hospital. Walk into any hospital that can treat your ailments and keep the bills of payment safe. However, you cannot make use of cashless claim process in this case because it stands null and void.
Provide original bills from the treatment, each one of them, to the insurance company. No insurance company will support or accept your claim without the original bills. Most of the bills are analysed and verified before it is cleared. Often third-party authorising vendors are hired to ensure that there are no false claims associated. False claims can refer to fraud bills, manipulated documents, etc. If the claim falters or is found to be incorrect at any stage of verification, the claim is rejected then and there. Therefore, it is recommended that you keep the bills intact such that they are legible and do not fail authorisation at any step.
After the claim is verified and found legitimate, the claim is processed easily without any hassles, and the payment is made to the registered bank account of the insured. However, if the payment is rejected due to any condition, the insured is notified of the same through customer advising methods. It could be via email, post or even a call from the claim-processing department.
It is only natural that one might question that if medical bills are enough documentation to claim reimbursement from the healthcare provider. Of course, you need a certain set of documentation in place to make the process a success. Any missing document can put your claim progress on hold. Now you do not want to run pillar to post just because you do not know what document it is! So, we have a consolidated list which you can follow during the claim process. Even it differs across organisations; you can always have a follow-up conversation with the agent you purchased your mediclaim policy from to give you a manual which contains all the details.
The most important documents which are also mandatory are as follows:
After all, documents are duly verified and processed; the claim is deemed to be completed. The final step is crediting the entire claim amount to the insurer's account which is declared at the time you buy health insurance.
Usually, third-party administrators are responsible for verifying your documents and claims. As incentives are higher to limit claims, they take stringent steps to cancel or reject any claim that comes their way. This is in line with the instructions given by the insurance providers themselves.
**To understand exactly about the policy coverage, exclusions etc, please read the Policy Wording carefully.**
