Month: January 2018

10 Questions You Should Ask Before Buying An Insurance Policy

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10 Questions You Should Ask Before Buying An Insurance Policy
by Edelweiss Tokio Life

The basic requirement for a successful financial plan and a secure financial future is a life insurance policy. A life insurance policy not only provides a lump sum amount at the time of death but some polices also provide a maturity benefit. All life insurance policies offer great tax saving benefits.

As there are numerous life insurance plans offered which differ in their features and long-term benefits, buying an insurance policy can be a hectic task for an individual who doesn’t know what to look for. Lifestyle and financial conditions differ from person to person, a policy purchased by one person may not meet the needs of another person. This is the reason why you should be cautious when buying insurance. You must ask yourself these ten questions before buying an insurance policy so that the policy you purchase is ideal for you in every situation of your life.

Ten questions you should ask before buying an Insurance policy

1. How much money will you need in the future?

As vague as it may sound, it is the foundation of every investment you will make for the future. Take a look at your financial condition, write down every possible future expenditure you can think of, add them up and get a rough idea of the amount you will need in the future. This will give you the amount for which you have to buy the policy and which, you will get after the maturity of the policy. If you find this process complicated, you can always consult a financial adviser.

2. After how many years will you want the insurance money?

Keeping in mind that you will get the sum assured at the time of death, you can also live to see the policy mature. At the time of maturity, you will get the whole sum assured as a lump sum and that maturity time should synchronize with your big future expenditures. In other words, you should figure out after how many years you will need the money to cover your big expenses like child’s marriage or college education. Once you have determined the number of years, you will get your tenure for which you have to buy your Insurance policy.

3. How much money can you afford to pay for your insurance policy?

You will have to pay a regular premium to the insurance company for the promise of a life cover, failing which will result in the lapse of the policy and its benefits. You have to ask yourself if you will be able to afford the premium on a regular basis. If yes, go ahead and buy the policy. If not, you could go for a policy which has a lower premium amount.

4. Who am I buying from?

The company (insurer) as important as the plan or policy itself. You must figure out for how long the company has been in business, its ratings and consumer reviews. Meet with its insurance advisor and ask about the business they have done over the years, the claims they have fulfilled and the growth they have made. Investing in a policy without researching about the company is never a good idea.

5. What is the lock-in period?

Many insurance policies like Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs) provide a policyholder to invest in the financial market, apart from providing a life cover like a traditional insurance plan. Every policy or scheme offering an option to invest in the financial market has a lock-in period before which you cannot withdraw your money. You must ask about the lock-in period, and if you think you can go for that time without withdrawing your money, go ahead and buy the policy.

6. When will you have to pay the premium?

After you have determined how much you can afford to pay as a premium, you must ask when you have to pay the premium: monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annually. For some people who don’t have a regular source of income, paying the premium monthly can be difficult, and for that, they will prefer a policy which doesn’t have a monthly premium paying rule. If the period of paying the premium affects you, it must be something you should ask about before buying the Insurance Policy.

7. How much money will you get if you surrender the policy?

Surrender Value is the amount which you will get if you voluntarily surrender your policy before its maturity. Surrender value differs with every policy and with every Insurance company. If you have figured out the tenure and the amount of your policy, you must ask about the surrender value and base your decision of buying the policy accordingly.

8. Will the company charge you if you surrender the policy?

The insurance company charges a part of surrender value if you wish to surrender the policy. It reduces your surrender value and you are left with a lower amount. Before buying a policy, you should ask about the surrender charge and make your decision accordingly. In general, it is always a smart decision to avoid buying a policy which charges a surrender fee at the time of surrendering the policy.

9. Does the policy have other benefits?

Every life insurance policy provides a life cover; what matters is the added benefits you get if you choose a specific plan from a particular insurer. You should contact the company and ask about the features it provides which you will get. It can include Top Up facility to increase your sum assured, riders to customize your Insurance policy and other bonuses to increase your overall savings. While choosing among different policies, go for a policy with the most benefits.

10. Does the policy provide a Free Look Period? How long is it?

The policy you buy will affect your entire financial future and to safeguard yourself that you have bought the right one, a free look period is a perfect way. As per regulatory norms, all insurers must provide a time period (lasting fifteen days) to a policyholder to decide whether to keep it or not and if he/she is not satisfied with the policy, the company returns the whole amount to the policyholder. If you are not sure that the policy you bought is the perfect one, you can opt out within the free look period.

Keep in mind there are a lot of different insurance products in the market. Each product has its own features, benefits, terms and conditions. One should always read the policy document and understand the product carefully before making a purchase.

Cashless Mediclaim

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Cashless Mediclaim

Cashless mediclaim service offers an insured person the benefit of availing medical treatment at the best hospitals, without having to pay from his/her own pocket. Hospitalization bills, up to the sum insured are directly settled by the insurance company. In this process, prior approval of the TPA (Third-Party Administrator) is required.

If cashless mediclaim facility is offered in your health insurance policy, you need not run around arranging funds at the time of medical emergency. This cashless mediclaim service can be availed only in network hospitals of the insurer.

Thus, we can say that under such facility, the insurer directly pays to the hospital for the customers’ medical treatment. And the insured is saved from running for money at a crucial time.

Cashless mediclaim service is of two types:-
Planned Claim – When an insured is aware of the hospitalization two-three days in advance, it is called planned hospitalization. In this case, the customer is advised to take a pre-authorisation at least a few days before the scheduled treatment. One can obtain the pre-authorisation forms from the hospital desk or the third party administrators (TPA) website.

Emergency Claim – When an insured person or a family member requires immediate hospitalization, either due to grave illness, an accident or any other crisis situation, it is known as emergency claim.

One must understand that it is important to inform the insurance company at the earliest about the on-going emergency treatment/surgery. Customers can ward off unnecessary hassle by carrying along their cashless card, policy number and the contact details of the insurance provider.

Alternatively, one must also share these details with their immediate family members like spouse, sibling and parents so that the procedure for getting the approval for cashless claim begins within 24hours of hospitalization.

You should remember the following while availing the cashless facility:
1. Inform your TPA before getting admitted to a hospital or in an emergency situation, you must ask one of your family members to do so.
2. Remember to take your ID card as a proof at the time of hospitalization.
3. Have necessary investigation and medical reports ready with you.
4. Provide complete information to your health insurer in the prescribed format.

Treatment in a network hospital
Every insurer has the ties up with number of hospitals across India, which is then known as the insurer’s preferred provider network (PPN). Thus, if you want to go for a cashless claim, you must necessarily be treated in a PPN hospital.

It must be understood that insurers generally have a large hospital network. But its availability depends on the location where the policyholder lives. So, it is important to check the preferred provider network before buying the policy. It must also be noted that admission into a network hospital is directly related to the availability of the beds, especially in rural areas where the medical facilities aren’t readily available.

However, there are instances when the insured person has no access to the network hospital, especially in case of emergency situation. Under such circumstances, h/she has to go for treatment in a non-network hospital, wherein later, his claims will only be settled through reimbursement.

Apollo Munich Health Insurance offers cashless mediclaim service with all its products. Know about the complete claim procedure followed by Apollo Munich here. The company’s nationwide network covers more than 4,000 hospitals, where policy holders can avail this feature to access quality health care.