Do you have multiple health insurance policies? Here are some tips to handle them 14th October 2022
Individuals nowadays may have multiple health insurance policies in the form of a corporate plan, a separate individual cover, a family floater cover, and a critical illness cover. The need for multiple policies arises because of rocketing hospitalisation and treatment prices in the present times. One policy may not provide adequate cover at the time of need. Also, when you leave your job, the corporate cover will end with it too.
It may confuse any individual to handle multiple health insurance policies, especially when raising a claim. Here are some tips for handling multiple health insurance policies.
1. Choice of policy:
When raising a claim, an insured has no compulsion to use any particular health insurance first from his multiple policies. You can choose any of your policies to raise a claim. Remember that you cannot file a claim for the same expense from two policies.
It is advisable to choose the insurance coverage provided by your office first. The claim settlement process will be quick without any waiting periods, and the chances of rejection of your claim will be very less. Also, your personal health insurance policy's NCB (No-claim bonus) will stay intact.
2. Room-rent limit:
Many health insurance policies come with a room-rent limit. Any extra room rent will have to be borne from our pocket. Hence, use the policy with a high room-rent limit first.
3. Co-payment or deductibles clause:
Many health insurance plans have a co-payment policy in which the insured has to take care of the claim amount. In deductibles, the insured must also bear a part of the claim amount, which the insurance company will reimburse. Hence, use the policy first, which comes without these clauses. This will not put any undue financial burden on your pocket.
4. Reimbursement limit:
Health insurance will cover your medical bills only up to the policy amount or the sum insured by you. If your medical bills are more than the sum insured, you can file a claim for the remaining medical bills with the second health insurance policy provider.
However, in this case, the hospital may not permit you to use the cashless mode to settle the remaining bill amount. You must clear the remaining bills and submit a reimbursement claim for your expenses with your second insurance provider. Also, you need to submit proof of the portion of the bill settled by the first insurance company along with the other relevant documents.
5. Raising claims with two insurers:
We cannot submit the same claims with two health insurance companies simultaneously. If the hospital bills are expected to go higher than the sum insured with the first insurer, then only you can ask for reimbursement for the remaining amount from the second insurer.
6. Disclosure:
We should always disclose our existing health insurance policy details to the insurance company while buying a second cover. Non-disclosure of previous policies with any health insurance service providers can lead to the rejection of our claim at the time of need. It will be considered a violation of the insurance contract.
Multiple health insurance policies are always beneficial for an individual. We usually get corporate cover as a part of our employee benefits, but it may not suffice. We should always go for additional health insurance coverage so that our existing coverage does not fall short in times of need. Also, specialised health insurance policies, such as critical illness policies, are always advisable and suitable for regular coverage.
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Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.