When it comes to choosing a health insurance plan, most people focus on the basics—hospitalization coverage, premiums, and network hospitals. However, there are several lesser-known benefits that can provide significant financial relief when you need it the most. In this blog, we’ll highlight the most overlooked health insurance benefits that can save you thousands!
1. Pre- and Post-Hospitalization Coverage
What It Is:
Many health insurance policies offer coverage for medical expenses before and after hospitalization. These include diagnostic tests, doctor consultations, and medicines.
Reason:
Most people don’t realize that these costs can add up quickly. They assume their coverage starts only after hospitalization.
How It Saves You Money:
With pre- and post-hospitalization benefits, you can claim expenses like doctor visits, medications, and tests, reducing the burden of additional costs that aren’t covered in basic plans.
2. Daycare Procedures Coverage
What It Is:
Health insurance policies now cover daycare treatments—medical procedures that don’t require an overnight stay in the hospital.
Reason:
Many policyholders don’t check if their insurance covers daycare treatments, assuming it’s only for major surgeries.
How It Saves You Money:
Daycare treatments like cataract surgery, dialysis, and chemotherapy can be expensive, but many health insurance policies provide coverage, saving you thousands.
3. Wellness and Preventive Care Benefits
What It Is:
Some health insurance policies cover wellness benefits like annual health check-ups, vaccinations, and preventive screenings.
Reason:
Most people don’t think of health insurance as a tool for maintaining good health, so they skip benefits like regular screenings or health check-ups.
How It Saves You Money:
Preventive care helps you detect health issues early, reducing the chances of expensive treatments later. By availing wellness benefits, you could avoid costly hospital visits in the future.
4. Maternity and Newborn Coverage
What It Is:
Health insurance policies are increasingly offering maternity benefits, covering both the mother and newborn’s medical expenses.
Reason:
Maternity coverage often has a waiting period, so young professionals might not immediately realize the value of including this benefit in their policy.
5. Mental Health Coverage
What It Is:
Mental health coverage, included in several modern health insurance policies, covers treatments for mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and stress disorders.
Reason:
People tend to ignore mental health coverage, thinking it’s not as important as physical health coverage.
How It Saves You Money:
Mental health care can be expensive, and without insurance coverage, out-of-pocket expenses can quickly pile up. Having this benefit in your policy ensures you get proper treatment without the financial strain.
6. Critical Illness Cover
What It Is:
Critical illness insurance provides a lump sum payout for specific serious diseases like cancer, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.
Reason:
Most people don’t opt for critical illness cover due to higher premiums or they believe they don’t need it until later in life.
How It Saves You Money:
In case of a critical illness diagnosis, the lump sum payout can help cover hospitalization, treatment costs, and other expenses, saving you from financial strain during a difficult time.
7. Ambulance Charges Coverage
What It Is:
Health insurance often covers the cost of ambulance services in case of emergencies. In addition, this coverage ensures that you are not burdened with high transportation costs during a medical crisis.
Reason:
The expense of ambulance charges is often not considered until an emergency strikes, and people forget to check if it’s included in their policy.
How It Saves You Money:
Ambulance services can be costly, especially in emergencies. Coverage for these expenses prevents additional financial stress during a health crisis.
8. Organ Donor Expenses
What It Is:
Organ donation expenses, including the cost of harvesting and transplantation, are sometimes covered by health insurance policies.
Reason:
Since organ donations are rare, many people don’t think about coverage for these expenses.
How It Saves You Money:
Organ transplantations can cost lakhs of rupees, and health insurance can help cover the substantial cost of both organ harvesting and transplantation.
9. Alternative Treatments
What It Is:
Several health insurance policies cover alternative treatments like Ayurveda, homeopathy, and acupuncture.
Reason:
Many people assume that health insurance only covers allopathic treatments, not considering alternative medical options.
How It Saves You Money:
With rising healthcare costs, turning to alternative treatments might be more affordable. Having insurance that covers these treatments gives you access to a wider range of medical care options.
10. Cashless Hospitalization
What It Is:
Cashless hospitalization allows you to get treated at network hospitals without paying upfront. The insurer settles the bill directly with the hospital.
Reason:
People forget that cashless benefits are available, assuming they’ll have to handle all the payments themselves.
Conclusion:
From maternity benefits to mental health coverage, and critical illness cover to wellness benefits, understanding the full range of benefits can help you maximize the value of your health insurance plan. Don’t wait for a medical emergency to discover these benefits—check your policy today and ensure you’re covered for every eventuality.