Health Insurance Policies in India that Cover Pre-Existing Conditions

The fast-paced lifestyle has led us to face several health-related issues—the habits of eating junk food and lack of hygiene results in welcoming stress and illness. You have to get treated in case some severe ailment strikes you. It is better to have a health insurance policy in place so that your recovery is taken care of financially.

Once you are hospitalized and cured with the necessary treatments, your insurance provider pays off the medical bill through a cashless treatment or reimbursement process. Buying health insurance policies is a suitable option to overcome medical costs, but many policies come with catches.

You always need to understand that overconsumption of alcohol, drug abuse, self-harm, criminal acts, and other illegal activities are not covered under any health insurance policy. If you overlook this clause, your claim may indeed be rejected. However, not just these practices, but something else needs to be checked twice while choosing health insurance. Yes, we are talking about pre-existing diseases, which you are already suffering from before purchasing any health plan.

What do pre-existing conditions in the exclusions of a policy mean?

Simply think of an illness that has already affected you when you don’t have any health insurance policy. Now, as you tend to buy one, the policy might not cover you against that specific illness. For instance, cancer, high blood pressure, acne, diabetes, etc., are illnesses that can be put under pre-existing conditions and not covered under the plan.

There’s a reason why many insurers don’t cover pre-existing diseases. They pose a possible financial risk as you would soon require medical attention, thus requiring the insurance company to provide coverage. Bearing in mind the term ‘insurance’, it is a safety net against possible future illnesses. A pre-existing disease is a particular event that is going to happen for sure.

Usually, pre-existing diseases include the following conditions:

• Cancer
• COPD
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Acne
• Asthma
• Sleep apnea
• Extreme obesity
• Anxiety
• Atherosclerosis

But the scenario is changing rapidly. Many health insurance companies are coming up with health policies that cover you against pre-existing conditions, letting you reduce the industry average of a 4-year waiting period on pre-existing diseases, of course, with certain conditions. Again, no company provides such coverage from day one.

Below is how ManipalCigna offers policies covering pre-existing conditions

    1. ManipalCigna ProHealth Insurance provides coverage for pre-existing diseases after a waiting period of just two years in ProHealth Preferred and ProHealth Premier plans.

    2. Pre-existing diseases are covered after 36 months of the start of the policy in ProHealth Accumulate plan and ProHealth Plus plan.

    3. Pre-existing diseases are covered after 48 months of the start of the policy in the ProHealth Protect plan.
 

How to buy a pre-existing condition cover?

Your pre-existing condition only gets covered in your health insurance plan when you take the benefit that covers them, like a waiver of pre-existing diseases. You must disclose all your pre-existing conditions to your insurer before buying a policy with pre-existing conditions.

Also, it is important to read the fine print of the policy and know about the waiting periods of each disease.

Things to consider before buying health insurance plans that cover pre-existing conditions

While buying health insurance plans that cover pre-existing diseases, consider the following things:

• Look for health insurance plans that offer a minimum waiting period before covering pre-existing diseases.
• Check Claim Settlement Ratio of your insurer
• Keep the health and age of your family members in mind while selecting the type of policy to buy. Buying cover on a family floater basis is highly beneficial.
• Look for health insurance plans offering lifetime renewability benefit.

Conclusion

Ensure that you know your health insurance policy like the back of your hand before you purchase the same. Similarly, never conceal any health-related information, such as pre-existing diseases, from your insurer. It can only backfire on you, resulting in claim rejection.

Be honest and keep your insurer updated regarding any changes in your health and lifestyle.