Health Insurance Plans for People having Allergies
In India, suffering from an allergy is a common thing. With the increasing number of vehicles on roads, high pollution levels and dust particles present almost everywhere; it is very obvious for our people to suffer from allergies. In fact, according to certain medical surveys, it has been inferred that allergy is one of the major reasons for Indians visiting hospitals.
The reason for allergies varies from person to person and the level of severity due to allergies can be different for different people. For some, it might be dust and pollens while for some it might be pet dander. Even the level of suffering caused due to these allergens is high for some and moderate for some. There can be some allergies which can make your condition worse and might turn out to be a situation of a medical emergency. You should be well prepared to handle such situations of medical emergencies so as to avoid a financial emergency. This can be done only when you have a good health insurance plan. But there is a question related to this in the minds of people i.e. does health insurance policies provide coverage for allergies?
Categories of Allergies
There are two major categories of allergies based on which health insurance can be purchased.
- Common allergies mostly include allergies caused due to dust or dirt particles. These allergies can lead to sneezing, breathing or skin problems among individuals and will need some basic medications. Common allergies do not become very severe and do not turn out to be fatal in the majority of cases. Mostly, these common allergies can be treated by homeopathic, Ayurvedic, or AYUSH treatments by which the allergens are reduced from the body of the allergic person.
- Severe allergies are those allergies that can become severe with time and lead to problems like severe breathing problems or other issues. People suffering from these severe allergies might need hospitalization and heavy medication. This is where you will definitely need a health insurance plan covering expenses incurred in the treatment of allergies.
Allergy – A pre-existing ailment
Insurance providers will consider any disease related to allergy as a pre-existing disease. A pre-existing disease is a type of disease or a condition that you as an applicant or your family members who are applying for the health insurance plan are well aware while purchasing the insurance plan.
In case of allergies, an applicant or his family members are definitely aware of the symptoms, causes and the conditions related to the allergy. So, if you are planning to purchase a health insurance policy for a pre-existing disease like allergy; you need to look out for certain basic features in the insurance plan.
Allergies and Health Insurance Plan
Normal allergies or Common allergies are not very dangerous and can be treated easily as they are not that expensive. But severe allergies can be life-threatening at times resulting in loss of consciousness or reactions on body parts and will require hospitalization, expensive medical care which needs to be covered by a good health insurance plan with allergy coverage. Mostly, insurance providers provide coverage for severe allergies due to which an individual has to be hospitalized and the treatments for allergy as well.
Also, this plan will guarantee you comprehensive coverage which will be of use in case of other medical emergencies apart from allergies.
How to choose a good health insurance plan for PED like an allergy?
While you are selecting a good health insurance policy for a pre-existing disease like allergy, there are certain features and benefits you should definitely look for in the insurance plan.
- Firstly, in case of a pre-existing ailment like allergy you should always opt for a health insurance plan which provides hospitalization benefits. There can be situations when the condition becomes too critical and immediate hospitalization is the only way out in such case. Then by the coverage provided, the hospitalization expenses and expenses incurred in the treatment can be paid off. You can also look for additional features included along with this such as reimbursement for ambulance expenses, coverage for additional family members, etc. These extra features can be availed along with the basic insurance by paying additional premium.
- Another feature which you can look for in a good health insurance plan with coverage for pre-existing disease is the coverage for pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses. The expenses which would be incurred before the actual hospitalization i.e. around 30 days before hospitalization and post-hospitalization i.e. for a certain time period after discharge should be covered by the health insurance plan.
- There might be certain conditions in which the patient will opt for other alternative treatments like homeopathy or AYUSH treatments. These alternate treatments help in getting the critical conditions cured like in case of certain allergies alternate treatments help in curing the cause of allergy and gives relief to the patients. A good health insurance plan with pre-existing ailment coverage should definitely have this provision available.
Points to consider while selecting a health insurance plan in case of PED like allergies
One of the most important points to consider a health insurance policy for PEDs is the waiting period. Mostly all health insurance plans which provide coverage against pre-existing diseases have a certain waiting period. Usually, pre-existing diseases like allergies are not covered from the beginning of the insurance plan but they get covered after the completion of a specific waiting period.
Mostly, insurance providers have a waiting period of 2 years to 4 years for pre-existing diseases after which these pre-existing diseases are included in the coverage. During this waiting period, your health insurance plan will be providing coverage against other ailments; only pre-existing diseases like allergies, diabetes, hypertension, etc. are excluded from the list.
It is always advisable to opt for a health insurance plan which has a low waiting period so that you can avail the benefits as soon as possible. In addition to this, you can take up expert advice regarding any queries in your mind about the purchase of a health insurance plan covering allergies. You can connect with the customer care executives and other experts of different insurance providers and seek advice on the coverage provided by health insurance plans for allergies. You need to completely honest about the actual allergies you have, their severity, and your medical history even if it makes you pay an additional premium.
Hence, allergies are covered in your health insurance plans and it should not be a cause of worry for you. If you are allergic and are planning to buy a health insurance plan then it will provide coverage for your allergies depending on the severity of the allergy. It is essential that you have financial backup when you are allergic to certain conditions or things as there might be hospitalization and other medical care needed for the treatment of severe allergies. You can compare the various health insurance plans available and can select the best one which perfectly suits up your requirements.
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