Health insurance is very important and everyone, irrespective of their age, should get covered under a comprehensive health insurance plan.
It is ideal for a person to get health coverage at the earliest possible time in life. However, if that doesn't happen, then he or she should purchase a medical insurance plan at the earliest, whether they are 18 years old or 65 years old. Take a look at this article to know more about getting health insurance at various life stages and how beneficial that proves to be.
Health insurance at various life stages
A person can get enrolled in a health insurance plan at various times. Here are some examples:
Health insurance for a newborn baby
Most of the maternity insurance plans, or the maternity covers under comprehensive health plans, offer coverage for a newborn baby for a period of 90 days. Hence, a person can come under a health insurance umbrella from the very first day of his life. The maternity insurance plans include important covers like NICU charges (if any), vaccination expenses and so on.
Health insurance for minors
Health insurance is available in various categories. Among them, the family floater plans are very popular. This plan allows the members of a family to get common coverage under a single policy. Young children of the main policyholder can be included in the policy. Hence, this is a great way to ensure everyone in the family, including the minors, has health insurance. This can be done for anyone below the age of 18. After the age of 18, the person may choose to get his or her own health insurance coverage.
Health insurance for young adults
It is an excellent practice for a young adult to invest in health insurance as soon as he starts working. Health insurance is available at an affordable rate when the prospector is young and healthy. Opting for a plan with lifelong renewability is a great option and allows the person to stay covered for the rest of their life.
Health insurance for middle-aged people
If you are the primary breadwinner of the family and have dependents, it is crucial for you to keep everyone’s health secure. Getting a family floater health insurance plan serves the purpose. The plan can be taken together for all the members of the family, making it a smart as well as an economic investment.
Health insurance for senior citizens
Many people rely on their employer-provided group health plans for all their health insurance requirements. However, when they retire, this coverage is lost. It is however very important to have health insurance at all times. The senior citizen health insurance plans come in handy at such times. These plans are especially designed for seniors who have a higher medical requirement. It is easy and affordable to get this coverage.
Benefits of getting health insurance
As you can see, there is no limitation on getting health insurance. No matter how old you are, you should look to get health insurance. When you do so, you get the following benefits:
Comprehensive health cover
The biggest advantage of getting health insurance is that you get a comprehensive medical cover. Health is wealth, and you need to keep it protected at all times and all costs. When you have health insurance, this becomes easy. The good health insurance policies from the leading health insurance providers in India offer comprehensive coverage. From diagnostic tests to complicated surgeries, from pre-hospital care to post-hospital rehabilitation, you get a series of covers which help you to stay fit and healthy at all times. Hence, irrespective of your age, get a health plan if you have not done so already.
Financial cover
Whether you have an accident or a sudden illness gets you down, you will need medical assistance. Sadly though, healthcare is very expensive and most people struggle to pay the hospital bills. Consequently, we see a lot of people struggling in silence and not getting proper medical care when needed. However, this problem is eliminated with health insurance. Health insurance allows you to get treated at the best hospitals under the best doctors since the bills are paid by the insurer. You can get nursed back to health without having to worry about the money and this proves to be tremendously beneficial.
Peace of mind
With a good health insurance plan in place, you get a lot of mental peace. This is an invaluable benefit of health insurance as you tend to get very worried when there is a medical emergency in the family. If you know that the health of all your loved ones, including yourself, is covered, you can rest assured that even if something goes wrong, you can try your best to get them back to normal. This assurance comes only when you have a comprehensive health plan at your disposal.
Tax benefits
And finally, health insurance offers tax benefits. You get tax rebates of up to INR 25,000 annually on the health insurance premium paid, under Section 80D of the Indian Income Tax Act. There are other ways in which you can save tax money when you get health insurance, so get a plan, keep your health secure and also save a lot of your hard-earned money in the process. As you can see, these are invaluable benefits and huge reasons why you must invest in a health insurance plan if you have not done so already.
The final word
Health insurance is no longer a luxury - it has become a necessity and staying without health coverage is not an advisable practice at all. Thankfully, there are some excellent health insurance plans available in India these days and you can surely find a policy based on your age, needs and budget. Explore your options and get the protection you and your loved ones deserve.