Did you know that every year, India sees 12 lakh new cancer cases?1 Some reports say that lung cancer in non-smokers has quadrupled in the last 15 years2. Even heart disease is on the rise, with India reporting approximately 30 crore heart patients3. With these numbers constantly increasing, it has become more important than ever to properly safeguard yourself against such medical conditions. Hence, health insurance plans have become a must-have to guard against such life-threatening illnesses.
It is to be noted that the average cover availed in the case of a health plan/mediclaim is around 2 lakhs4 in India , but the treatment costs for diseases like cancer and heart attack can be much larger. For example, the total cost for cancer treatment can go upto a whopping ` 23 lakhs, and it points to the inadequacy of protection one might experience when faced with such a situation. It is in this context that health plans which provide financial protection in the case of diseases like cancer and heart ailments become important. Heart/Cancer Protect by ICICI Pru is such a plan, and let’s look at how it stands apart from a normal health insurance plan in its features.
Health Insurance
Heart/Cancer Protect
A standard health insurance plan requires you to get treated at a network hospital to avail cashless hospitalization, or claim your money as reimbursement if you want to get a hospital which is not affiliated to the insurer.
Heart/Cancer Protect, on the contrary pays out the claim immediately after diagnosis (only a diagnosis report from doctor is required), thereby giving you the flexibility to get the treatment done at your choice of hospital.
Premiums of a standard health insurance plan increase with age , since the risk of the person being inflicted by a disease becomes higher as one ages. This can be a setback to people who are looking for long term protection, especially in the case of cancer and heart ailments.
Heart/Cancer Protect offers a solution to this, as the premiums do not increase with age (A revision, if any can only happen after a block of 3 years, and can be influenced by company claims performance and not an individual’s age) and the policy is renewable for the full policy term available, ensuring long term protection which is cost-effective also.
When anybody, especially the breadwinner of the family is diagnosed with cancer, the additional costs and possibly a loss of income (due to being out of work) can be crippling for the family . Ailments like cancer and heart attack can affect not just the patient, but his/her family as well, with their comfort compromised due to the huge cost of treatment and the additional myriad expenses apart from treatment and hospitalization . A standard health insurance plan would be able to help with the treatment costs, but not anything else.
But a targeted health insurance plan like Heart/Cancer Protect pays you a lump sum amount on diagnosis irrespective of your actual medical expenses, which can be used to tackle all the additional expenses that crop up, including the loss of income* during the time period of treatment. Apart from that, the plan also comes with add-on benefits which you can choose which provides for hospital expenses and medical inflation as well^.
Now that you know the differences, you can see for yourself why having a targeted critical illness plan is valuable for your health and finances. However, it is important to understand that while the two plans are separate, you don’t have to choose between them. A targeted critical illness policy can complement a health insurance plan and give you the added protection you need in times of emergencies, at an affordable price.
Know more about ICICI Pru Heart/Cancer Protect |
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Claim payout on detection – Only diagnosis report needed |
Premium discount for covering your spouse* & for existing customers# |
Waiver of premium on minor/major diagnosis~ |
Added benefits for hospitalization** and cover enhancement~~ |
Affordable cover – 20 Lakh Cover @ Rs. 235 p.m##. |
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*This refers to the Income benefit option, which provides a monthly income of 1% of the total cover amount for the next 5 years after a major diagnosis happening to the policyholder
^ The add-on benefits referred to here are Hospital cash benefit and Increasing cover benefit respectively.
2. https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/dramatic-rise-in-lung-cancer-among-non-smokers-say-doctors-1762231
5. http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/personal-finance/-1875363.html
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