You take many important decisions for your family and choosing the right health insurance plan is one of them. A health insurance plan that takes care of you and your family is a must-have in the present times. Rather than taking any health insurance plan just for tax benefits, look for other important parameters like maximum coverage and minimum premium.

The choice among different health insurance plans is something that need not be influenced by what your friend or relative says. A 24-year-old single person would have different requirements from a health insurance plan than the one who is taking care of a family with two children.

Even for the same health condition, there can be varied insurance policy options. Different health insurance policies in India have different ways of handling a particular health condition, so it’s better to choose the one that best fits your needs. While selecting a health insurance plan, there are certain checklists:

• The maximum period for which the premium remains constant even after claims has been made
• Cashless benefits of hospitalization and surgery
• Hospitals covered under the policy
• Flexibility regarding coverage, benefits and premium payment duration
• Enhanced coverage provided in case of zero claims over certain years with constant premium
• Expansive coverage for even such health problems which run in the family

These factors need to be considered before choosing between different health insurance plans. Along with these, certain decisions need to be taken at your end.

The right time to take the health insurance

It’s better to have health insurance plan early in your life so that you get maximum coverage for different health benefits. If you delay it, then you may have to face the risk of denied coverage for certain diseases which come under the age limit. Moreover, it is to be noted that certain critical diseases are not covered under major health insurance plans in India.

Zero in on sum insured