Is your existing health insurance sufficient to meet the rising medical expenses? If not, get a Super Top Up Health Insurance Plan to enhance your base Health Plan!
A health insurance policy financially secures your planned and unforeseen medical expenses up to the sum assured that you have opted for. At least, a basic health insurance cover assures you only that. Now let’s assume, you had a planned surgery earlier in the year, and an unexpected medical expenditure later. In case you have already claimed the entire sum assured for your surgery, you will be in a soup when the medical emergency arises. You have already exhausted the sum assured that you felt would be sufficient for your needs at the time of purchasing the policy, but life is full of uncertainties. The moment you feel you have made the necessary arrangements and your life is sorted, you will receive a Googly and life will be thrown off-balance yet again!
Jokes apart, the smart way to tackle such unwanted surprises is to be financially prepared for them well in advance. And a Super Top Up Health Insurance Plan over and above your basic health insurance policy offers you just that. What’s more, you can avail the additional coverage and all the associated benefits of a Super top-up plan at an affordable premium. In short, they make you eligible for multiple claims in a year, even if you have exhausted the full sum assured.
Let’s take a few examples to understand Super Top Ups better.
Assume Mr. Mehta’s gets hospitalized and runs up a medical bill of Rs. 10 lakhs. A large bill has been generated which has gone beyond Rs. 7 lakh, which is his health insurance policy sum insured. In such a situation, he can claim only Rs. 7 lakh against his health insurance, while the remaining Rs. 3 lakh will have to be borne by him. With a Super Top Up plan, he will be eligible for claiming the additional medical expenditure of Rs. 3 lakh as well. How convenient is that?
Take another instance. Mr. Das claims Rs. 4 lakhs from his total sum assured of Rs. 6 lakhs to meet the expenses incurred for a planned hospitalization. A couple of months later, he has to be hospitalized again. This time, his bill totals Rs. 3 lakh, exceeding his remaining sum assured of Rs. 2 lakh by Rs. 1 lakh. How would he meet this expense? A Super Top Up plan would come to his rescue.
Here are some salient features and benefits of Super Top Up Health Insurance plans at a glance:
Additional benefit over the base plan – A Super Top plan serves as an additional insurance cover, as evident from the name. It supplements your health plan by covering medical expenses over the deductible.
Lower premium – One can get a top-up health insurance policy at lower premiums, with the premium amount depending on the deductible. A higher deductible results in a lower premium and vice-versa.
Claim Settlement – Claims are settled when medical bills cross the deductible threshold limit.
Multiple Claims – You can make multiple claims under your super top-up plan till your sum insured gets exhausted.
How to save money through a Super Top-up Plan
Less-than-usual premium: When you require a sufficient cover on your health insurance plan, you will obviously have to pay a substantially higher premium, right? No! With a Super Top Up plan, you wouldn’t. Just a small premium will make you eligible for a coverage of Rs. 25 lakh.
Tax benefits: Tax deductions of up to Rs. 75,000 are applicable on health insurance premiums under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Premiums paid towards a Super Top-up Plan are also eligible for deductions under this section within the overall limit of Rs. 75,000.
Super Top Up Health Insurance Plans from Top Insurance Companies in India
When you want to purchase a Super Top Up plan, one of these might be just what you are looking for:
HDFC ERGO - my: Health Suraksha – Looking for a mediclaim policy for your family? Or maybe just for you. Designed as a family floater plan, the deductible component starts from Rs. 1 lakh, while the sum assured varies between Rs. 2 lakhs and Rs. 10 lakhs.
Apollo Munich Optima Plus – This policy serves the dual purpose of offering the benefits of a Super Top Up plan and a zero deduction health insurance plan post retirement.
Star Health Super Surplus – The deductible begins from Rs. 3 lakhs, while the cover ranges between Rs. 7 lakhs and Rs. 10 lakhs.
Religare Enhance - This Super Top Up plan offers a cover between Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 30 lakhs, and is an effective plan for your family. No sub-limits are applicable on this plan.
Looking at today’s rising expenses around us, health expenditure is no exception. In fact, health expenses are rising at a much faster pace and are always ready to exhaust your hard earned money. Increasing the sum insured of the base plan might not be a smart idea as it would put a lot of strain on your pocket. So, the simplest and ideal way of increasing health insurance coverage in a pocket friendly way is to getting a Super Top-up Plan to your base health insurance plan.
Documents Required For Buying a Super Top Up Health Insurance Plan
If you plan to purchase a top-up health plan from the same insurance company where you hold your basic health policy, you don’t need to furnish any further documents. However, if you prefer buying it from another insurer, these are the documents you have to submit for the verification process:
Proof of Age: Passport, Voter ID, Driving License, Certificate of Birth, Standard 10th or 12th mark sheet.
Proof of Identity: Passport, Voter ID, Driving License, PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, as a proof of Indian citizenship.
Proof of Address: Passport, Driving License, Electricity Bill, Telephone Bill, Ration Card, as a proof of the applicant’s permanent address.
Medical check-up, if the insurance company asks for it. Usually, applicants more than 45 years of age are required to submit reports of medical check-ups. This acts as a proof of the existence or non-existence of critical illnesses, as specified in the policy document.
Passport size photograph
FAQ's On Super Top Up Health Insurance Plan
Q. What is a top up plan in health insurance?
A basic health plan covers you till the pre-determined sum insured. However, rapidly rising costs of medical facilities and medical inflation is a known reality. Your cover may prove to be insufficient to meet planned and unforeseen hospitalization and other medical care expenses. For instance, your basic plan covers you for Rs. 5 lakhs annually, but your hospital bill amounts to Rs. 7 lakhs. In such a situation, if you’ve already opted for a top up health plan, it would come to your rescue. This will apparently save you from the burden of paying the remaining Rs. 2 lakhs from your pocket. In short, top up health insurance covers you for the additional medical expenses incurred over and above the coverage for your basic health plan.
Q. How does top up health insurance work?
Top up health insurance covers you for any additional hospital and medical expenses incurred over and above the coverage on a basic health plan or deductible limit. For example, basic health plan covers you for Rs. 6 lakhs annually, while your hospital bill has run up to Rs. 8 lakhs. A top up health insurance will cover you for the additional amount, so that you wouldn’t have to finance it yourself.
Q. What is meant by a Health Booster?
ICICI Health Booster Plan is a super top up plan that financially protects policyholders from the soaring costs of hospitalization and other medical facilities, both planned and unexpected emergencies. This plan covers the expenses incurred over and above the base health plan. It also extends the coverage for medical conditions and expenses excluded from base plans and top ups. It is also accompanied by a deductible threshold.
Recommended Read: Super Top Up Can Help Save Tax Over and Above Your Corporate Health Insurance Policy