Mediclaim VS Specialised Health Insurance
Specialised Health
Insurance
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 |
|---|
| 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. 236 p.m##. |
| Added benefits for hospitalization** and cover enhancement~~ |
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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
#Employee discount will be applicable on the following basis:
| Premium Payment Option | Premium Payment Term | Discount |
|---|---|---|
| Single Pay | NA | 2% |
| Regular Pay | Less than 10 years | 5% |
| 10 years and above | 7.5% |
Existing customer discount of 5% on the first years premium is available only for policies with Regular Premium Payment Option, it is not applicable for Single pay policies. With one policy, you can avail either Family Benefit or Loyalty Benefit.
*A discount of 5% on first years’ premium will be offered on purchase of ICICI Pru Heart / Cancer Protect when life assured and his/ her spouse is covered under the same policy.
~The Company shall waive all future premiums on a claim of Minor condition under the chosen cover; or on the diagnosis of Permanent Disability (PD)of the Life Assured due to an Accident. If both Cancer cover and Heart cover are chosen such waiver is allowed on a minor/major condition claim under either Cancer cover or Heart cover; or on the diagnosis of PD. This benefit is available only if the Policy is in force as on the date of diagnosis of the condition/at the time of accident.
**Under this benefit, a daily hospital cash benefit of ₹5,000 is paid out, if you get hospitalized for a continuous stay of 24 hours, due to any of the covered conditions under the chosen cover. The amount is fixed and paid out irrespective of the actual hospitalization expenses. The benefit is payable subject to a maximum limit of 10 days in a policy year and 30 days over the policy term. If Cancer cover and Heart cover are taken together, then in case of claim under Hospital benefit due to listed conditions of any one cover, the pay-out will be made for that cover and the Hospital Benefit due to listed conditions under another cover remains unaffected.
~~With Increasing Cover Benefit, the Sum Assured chosen at inception increases by 10% simple interest on each policy anniversary, for every claim free year. The maximum Sum Assured under the cover will be capped at 200% of the Sum Assured chosen at inception. This increase in Sum Assured will stop on occurrence of first claim under the cover. Where Cancer cover and Heart cover are chosen together, the Sums Assured for both the covers increase by 10% simple interest on each policy anniversary, for every claim free year. The maximum sum assured will be capped at 200% of the Sum Assured chosen at inception for each type of cover. In case of occurrence of first claim under any one type of cover, the increase in Sum Assured will stop for that cover type and Increasing Cover Benefit will continue for the other type of cover, for which no claim has occurred.
##The monthly online premium of ₹236/Month is for a 18-year-old healthy non-smoker male who has bought ICICI Pru Heart / Cancer Protect, with cancer cover of ₹12 lakh & Heart Cover of ₹8 Lakh with increasing cover benefit, Hospital cash benefit and income benefit, paying premiums regularly for 26years, inclusive of tax.
COMP/DOC/Sep/2020/99/4423
