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Including riders in your health insurance policy can help you avail comprehensive coverage that is tailored according to your personal needs, thereby enhancing your overall financial security.
Health insurance policy riders include a variety of benefits.
Buying health insurance for the first time can be daunting, especially when dealing with unfamiliar terminology. While making the purchase, users must take care of how much and when to spend on the policy. People get riders which include a variety of benefits, OPD care, no claim bonus, and many more. No matter how beneficial it may seem, it is crucial to understand what riders are and when a person should get riders in a health plan.
Below, we have discussed riders and their types that one should familiarise themselves with before purchasing a health insurance policy:
What Are Riders?
Riders are those additional elements apart from the base policy that allow the policyholder to customise their insurance policies to meet their needs and requirements. Including riders in your health insurance policy can help you avail comprehensive coverage that is tailored according to your personal needs, thereby enhancing your overall financial security and peace of mind.
Maternity Cover
The maternity rider is essential for expectant parents. It covers the medical expenses like delivery fees, prenatal and postnatal care, and, in some situations, baby new-born expenses. However, this coverage is usually available after a waiting period ranging from 9 months to 6 years, depending on the insurance company. This rider will prepare you for the arrival of the bundle of joy while also protecting your family financially by saving you your hard-earned money on delivery charges.
Critical Illness Cover or Personal Accident Cover
This rider provides a lump sum benefit to the policyholder equal to the sum insured amount when you are diagnosed with a critical illness, such as heart disease, kidney failure, or cancer. The Critical Illness Cover, which comes with a waiting period of 90 days and ceases to exist after a claim is raised, is an emergency fund to pay for your hospital bills and maintain your lifestyle while you recover from your illness. If your family has a history of these illnesses or those who have high-risk physical or psychologically stressful jobs, this rider is for you.
Hospital Cash Cover
Next on the list is a hospital cash rider that pays a guaranteed daily cash benefit to the policyholder for every day of hospitalisation, irrespective of the amount of actual hospital costs. The allowance can be used to pay incidental costs such as travel, meals, and other out-of-pocket costs not commonly covered under the standard health insurance policy. The insured must be hospitalised for at least 24 hours or more to activate this rider.
Room Rent Waiver
With the room rent waiver, users are relieved of hospital room rent sub-limits, allowing policyholders to opt for the best possible care without worrying about additional cost. It also eliminates any restriction on the room rent type, allowing the insured to get admitted to a hospital room of their choice without paying extra at the time of admission. Other riders worth highlighting are the accidental disability rider, which compensates against accidental disability, and the mental well-being rider, which pays for mental health services.
OPD Rider
OPD charges can be exorbitant, especially for young couples with little ones. This is when this rider plays an important role. OPD rider helps you pay for the medical expenses incurred in the outpatient department, such as doctor visits, diagnostic tests, medical tests, and medications, reducing down on out-of-pocket expenses significantly. This rider is extremely useful for frequent health check-ups and low-cost treatments.