- Date : 17/12/2019
- Read: 4 mins
Think your indemnity health insurance plan is enough? Here’s why hospital cash plan is the add-on you didn’t know you needed.
Vinod Mehta, a 40-year-old, working professions was in for a shock when he had to be hospitalised suddenly because of excruciating pain in his stomach. He was discharged almost after a week. Apart from hospital bills of Rs. 90,000, there was an additional cash expense amounting to Rs. 15,000. This included his wife’s hospital travel costs, her meal expenses, a babysitter’s fees for their daughter since she couldn’t be left unattended at home nor brought along to the hospital.
Unfortunately for Mehta, his insurance policy did not cover such additional expenses. So, he had to pay these out from his own pocket. Some days later, his friend Raghav paid him a visit. During their conversation, Raghav got to know how Mehta had to pay for hospitalisation expenses on his own. That’s when Raghav introduced him to a certain benefit health insurance product, known as hospital cash plans.
Here are all the answers he offered to Mehta’s questions and you should know too.
How are hospital cash plans of value to me?
The costs associated with medical treatments are quite high these days, and they are only rising. There are bed charges and medicine bills, of course. But hospitalisation may involve many other miscellaneous expenses too, such as loss of income, in case you need to avail Leave Without Pay. Also, the existing indemnity health insurance plan might have sub-limits. While your hospital indemnity plan may exclude these expenses, a hospital cash plan can provide some relief here.
Related: Lesser Known Features of Health Plans That You Should Take Advantage Of
Furthermore, hospital cash plans pay you a pre-defined, fixed amount per day, throughout your period of hospitalisation. Unlike indemnity-based health insurance, it is not based on the concept of reimbursement.
Hospital cash plans can reduce treatment costs as they cover certain expenses that health insurance or medi-claim does not.
• Health insurance is a medical indemnity plan, but a hospital cash product is a defined-benefit plan.
• While a health insurance policy only pays the actual hospitalisation expenses incurred, a hospital cash plan pays you towards cash expenses, basis the number of days you are hospitalised. This is irrespective of the expenses you incur.
• When it comes to a conventional hospital indemnity plan, you have to choose the sum assured. For a hospital cash plan, you must decide the daily amount for which you want to be covered.
For example, let’s say you have a hospital cash policy that pays you Rs. 1500 per day, if hospitalised. Now, whether your per day hospitalisation bill amounts to Rs. 1000 or Rs. 2000, this plan will pay you the pre-decided figure, i.e. Rs. 1500.
To summarise, benefit products complement a health insurance policy, by offering you more assistance when the time comes. Therefore, it is wise to buy a hospital cash plan that suits your need as an add-on over and above your individual or group insurance scheme. This allows you to avail of benefits from both plans simultaneously.
Related: How Mediclaim Differs From A Health Insurance Policy
What are the additional benefits of hospital cash plans?
• In case of hospitalisation, these plans provide a lump sum amount that can be used for paying inadmissible expenses such as X-Ray and surgical accessory costs, which aren’t covered under mediclaim policies.
• Hospital cash plans can reduce the financial burden that comes with very large claims that may not be entirely covered by health insurance. These plans can be used to cover any extra claims.
• Tax exemption benefit under Section 80D for the premium paid.
• The plan can also be used to pay off minor hospitalisation bills, instead of making a claim from a health insurance policy, thus keeping the health insurance No Claims Bonus feature intact.
• Some plans may double the daily cash allowance if the policyholder has been admitted to the ICU. However, this condition may differ from insurer to insurer.
What to consider when buying a hospital cash plan?
• Customise the coverage as per your needs, in terms of the maximum number of days and the daily amount
• Find out the product-specific conditions that make you eligible for filing a claim
• Be aware of the documentation needed to file a claim at the time of purchase itself
• Check the ‘Look period’ option, which allows you to cancel the policy if the terms and conditions or cover does not suit you. However, this is only possible if you have made no claims, and within a certain number of days.
Related: How To Switch From Group Health To Individual Health Insurance
What is the bottom line?
Remember you can include the rider of hospital cash rider in your health insurance policy or opt for a standalone policy. It does not replace health insurance policy, but it’s an add-on that will protect you.
