The awareness of having a comprehensive health insurance policy has jumped in recent times, thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. Comprehensive health plans are those that provide a wide scope of coverage. Such plans cover most of the medical costs that you might incur in an emergency. As per a recent study conducted by Max Bupa, only 37% of the millennials bought health insurance for protection against diseases before the pandemic struck. Now, 60% of them believe that a comprehensive health insurance policy is a must.
Well, better late than never!
Comprehensive health insurance plans are becoming the new go-to solution for customers looking for an all-round protection. When it comes to comprehensive policies, three plans stand out from the horde of other plans available in the market –
- Star’s Comprehensive Insurance Policy
- Max Bupa’s ReAssure
- ICICI Lombard’s Health Shield
All these policies provide an all-inclusive scope of coverage, complete with inbuilt and optional coverage benefits. Some of the most common and basic coverage benefits under all three plans include day care treatments, AYUSH cover, wellness programs and benefits, free annual health check-ups, lifelong coverage, etc. The plans also offer coverage for second opinion, modern medical treatments like robotic surgery, etc.
Other details of these plans can be checked under the following comparative analysis –
| Benefits | Star Comprehensive | Max Bupa ReAssure | ICICI Lombard Health Shield |
| Sum insured | Rs.5 lakhs to Rs.1 crore | Rs.3 lakhs to Rs.1 crore | Rs.5 lakhs to Rs.50 lakhs |
| Room rent limit | No limit on the room rent. Private single AC room is available | No limit on the room rent | No limit on the room rent |
| Inpatient hospitalisation | Covered up to the sum insured | Covered up to the sum insured | Covered up to the sum insured |
| Delivery costs | Covered | Not available | Available in Elite and Elite Plus variants |
| New born child cover | Up to Rs.1 lakh | Not available | Available in Elite and Elite Plus variants |
| OPD coverage for dental and ophthalmic costs | Up to Rs.15,000 once every 3 years | Not available | Available in Elite and Elite Plus variants |
| OPD medical consultations | Up to Rs.5000 | Not available | |
| Sum insured restoration | Up to 100% of the sum insured, once every year | Up to 100% of the sum insured, unlimited number of times | Up to 100% of the sum insured, unlimited number of times |
| Pre-existing waiting period | 36 months | 36 months | 24 months |
| Specific waiting period | 24 months | 24 months | 24 months |
| Cumulative no claim bonus | If the sum insured is up to Rs.5 lakhs, the no claim bonus would allow 50% increase in the sum insured after every claim-free year. For sum insured of Rs.7.5 lakhs and above, the bonus would be 100% of the sum insured after every claim-free year. The maximum increase is up to 100% of the sum insured | 50% increase in the sum insured after every claim-free year up to a maximum of 100%. | 10% of the sum insured is increased every year up to a maximum of 50%. You can choose the ‘Super No Claim Bonus’ add-on under which the sum insured would increase by 50% if no claims are made |
| Co-payment | 10% co-pay for age at entry >61 years | No co-pay | 10% co-pay for worldwide coverage as an optional add-on |
Furthermore, the important differentiating
Now, let’s delve into the main benefits of each plan –
Why go for Star Comprehensive Insurance Policy?
- Vaccination costs of the newborn child within the first year up to Rs.5000
- Bariatric surgery is covered up to Rs.5 lakhs
- There is a unique concept of buy-back of pre-existing waiting period. If you choose this option, you would have to pay an additional premium and your waiting period would be reduced. You can get a reduced waiting period of 12 months through this option.
- At higher sum insured levels, a cumulative bonus of 100% of the sum insured is allowed after the first claim-free year itself.
- This is the only plan which has an inbuilt personal accident cover
Why go for Max Bupa ReAssure?
- Home care treatments, like dialysis and chemotherapy, are also covered by the policy
- The plan has three distinct ‘Safeguard’ benefits which are as follows –
- Claim safeguard for coverage of non-admissible expenses
- Booster benefit safeguard for protecting the cumulative bonus if claims are up to Rs.50, 000
- Sum insured safeguard that increases the sum insured by last year’s inflation rate
- Attractive discounts are offered by the policy. Some of these include –
- Family discount
- Doctor discount for medical professionals
- Up to 30% premium discount through wellness programs
- Long term discount
- Discount for placing a Standing Instruction on your bank account for premium payment
Why go for ICICI Lombard Health Shield?
- Emergency teleconsultation is available as an inbuilt coverage benefit
- There are a range of additional coverage benefits for enhancing your policy. These are as follows –
- International coverage for sum insured of Rs.10 lakhs and above
- Coverage for non-admissible expenses
- Unlimited restoration of the sum insured
- The no claim bonus is not impacted if there is a claim of up to Rs.50, 000
- Automatic enhancement of the sum insured on renewal to factor in inflation
- Super no claim bonus which increases the sum insured by 50% after every claim-free year up to a maximum of 200%
- You can opt for an optional critical illness cover
The bottom line
All three plans provide a comprehensive scope of coverage and have their respective USPs. You can compare between these plans based on their coverage vis-à-vis your coverage needs. If you are planning a family you can opt for Star Comprehensive or ICICI’s Health Shield plan and get coverage for maternity related expenses. Similarly, if you want coverage against bariatric surgery, Star Health’s plan would give the coverage that you need. For getting free health check-ups from the first day, Max Bupa’s plan would be effective. So, choose a plan depending on your coverage needs and you can enjoy optimal coverage.
So, which one are you choosing today?
Source: [1] https://www.etmoney.com/blog/post-covid-health-insurance-trends-a-survey-by-max-bupa/
OneAssure is a distribution platform that helps you make the right decisions on matters where health and finances converge. Visit oneassure.in to know more about your health insurance choices.