Popular Top-up Health Insurance Plans

Some common features of top-up health insurance plans are explained below:

• Top-up health insurance plans can easily be converted into basic health insurance plans.
• Children can also be added under the same policy if the parents are included under it.
• There is no restriction or capping on the hospitalisation costs such as doctor’s fee, room rent, etc.
• You will be provided with cumulative bonus on the sum insured for every claim-free year for up to a specific percentage.
• You will be provided a free look period of 15 days from the date of policy purchase to understand the policy terms and conditions better.
• The policy term can be of 1 year or 2 years. It may differ from insurer to insurer.
• Lifetime renewability benefit is offered under top-up health insurance plans.

Benefits of a Top-Up Health Insurance Plan

A top up health insurance plan assists in complementing your standard health insurance cover and safeguards you from the possibility of huge hospital expenses. Also, it helps in reducing your out-of-the pocket cost and assists in getting quality treatment at a hospital of your preference without needing to worry regarding making financial arrangements.

Some of the common benefits of a top-up Health insurance plan are as follows:

• Coverage Over and Above Standard Insurance Plan: This is known to be one of the best benefits of a top up health insurance plan. It assists in providing a financial backup in the scenario, when the threshold limit of your standard policy gets exhausted, hence, liberating you of the financial burden.
• Peace of Mind: Even if your existing health insurance plan gets exhausted at the time of registering for a claim, still you are not required to compromise on your peace of mind as you are offered coverage for the remaining period of time.
• High Coverage at an Economical Premium: It is important to know that a top up plan comes at a very economical cost. It simply means you can now enjoy dual benefits in the form of higher coverage and low premium cost. Moreover, this benefit is particularly beneficial for individuals who are in the older age bracket. As the chances of falling sick is high for old people, therefore, purchasing a top up plan would be a very feasible option.
• Helps in Dealing with Increasing Medical Inflation: Medical inflation is rising at a rapid pace in India with each passing day and therefore investment in a top up plan would help in combating this inflation effectively. By buying this plan, you can simply shift the risk to your insurance company and lessen your financial burden largely.
• Tax Benefits: Just like all health insurance plans, you can avail tax benefits with the premium paid for your top up plan too. As per section 80D of the Income Tax Act, you can reduce your tax liability maximum up to Rs. 25,000. It is valid for insurance plans bought for self, spouse and children. Moreover, if your age is above 60 years old, then you may enjoy a higher deductible limit, maximum up to Rs. 50,000. A medical plan reduces the tax liability of an individual while offering them coverage.
• Health Cover against Pre-Existing Illness: Generally, most health plans do not offer cover against any pre-existing illness. However, you can supplement your standard insurance plan with a top up health plan that provides cover for the same. This comes into benefit if you have any past family history of specific diseases like diabetes or hypertension.

Need for Top-Up Health Insurance Policy

Top-up health insurance plans offer multiple benefits to the insured. Some of them are listed below:

• Cost Effective: top-up policies save your money by reducing the cost of policy.
• Claim Payment: top-up plans reimburse you the money for any medical treatment.
• Rising medical costs: top-up health insurance plans cover you against rising medical costs in India.
• Sum Insured Options: top-up health insurance plans offer wide sum insured options at reasonable premiums that fulfil your coverage requirements.
• Pre-Medical Check Up: There is no pre-medical check-up required for people aged more than 55 days.
• Tax Benefits: top-up health insurance plans offer you tax benefits on the premium paid for them under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• One Sum Insured: Under top-up health insurance plans, all family members are covered under the same sum insured by paying a single premium.

Types of Top-Up Health Insurance Plans

Insurance companies offering health insurance plans in India offer two types of top-up plans. These are explained below:

• Top-up Plan: A top-up health insurance policy replenishes your sum insured up to a specific limit, thereby offering you the required health insurance coverage in difficult times. The benefits under a top-up health insurance policy can be availed when the medical expenses cross the deductible limit.
• Super Top-up Plan: A super top-up policy offers extra insurance coverage once the medical expenses exceed the threshold limit. While a top-up insurance policy considers a threshold limit for every claim, but a super top-up policy considers multiple hospitalisations during a policy term.
  In both plans, if the illness arises again within 45 days of discharge from the hospital, then it will be considered a single illness. But if it arises again after 45 days, then it will be considered a new illness.

Popular Top-up And Super Top-Up Health Insurance Plans

There are multiple insurance companies offering reliable top-up and super top-up health insurance plans to the insured. Some of them are tabulated below:

1. ManipalCigna Super Top-Up Policy: Available for people aged at least 91 days, this policy offers sum insured options between Rs. 3 Lakh and Rs. 30 Lakh. The policy offers several coverage benefits such as in-patient hospitalisation expenses, pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation expenses, AYUSH treatment expenses, etc.
2. Max Bupa Health Recharge Policy: It is a super top-up policy that covers people aged between 18 years and 65 years for several healthcare expenses. These include ambulance expenses, pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation expenses, pharmacy and diagnostic expenses, etc.
3. Star Super Surplus Policy: Super Surplus policy offers cover to people aged between 18 years and 65 years for many healthcare expenses. These include organ donor expenses, pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation expenses, air ambulance expenses, etc. The policy comes in different variants which fulfil different requirements of policy buyers.
4. Royal Sundaram Lifeline Policy: This plan comes with three variants that cover you and your family for several healthcare expenses. The policy comes for sum insured options of Rs. domiciliary hospitalisation expenses, AYUSH treatments, emergency domestic hospitalisation expenses, etc.
5. Liberty Health Connect Supra Policy: Liberty Health Connect Supra Policy comes in two variants namely top-up policy and super top-up policy that covers people aged between 91 days and 65 years. The policy covers the insured for in-patient hospitalisation expenses, daycare treatment expenses, pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation expenses, etc.

Undoubtedly, top-up and super-top up health insurance plans fill the gap between the actual hospitalisation expenses incurred during an emergency and the sum that your standard health insurance policy covers. It is an affordable option for people to enhance coverage at affordable health insurance premiums.

Inclusions Under Top-Up Health Insurance Plans

Top-up health insurance plans offer you several coverage benefits at reasonable premiums. Some of the benefits are explained below:

• Room Rent Expenses: top-up health insurance plan covers you for room rent expenses incurred during hospitalisation. With it, you can make your stay at the hospital convenient.
• Pre-Hospitalisation and Post-Hospitalisation Expenses: Top-up health insurance plans cover pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation expenses for up to a specific number of days which may differ from insurer to insurer. Generally, they are covered for 30 days and 60 days respectively.
• In-Patient Hospitalisation Expenses: Top-up health insurance plans cover you for in-patient hospitalisation expenses up to the sum insured limit.
• Organ Donor Expenses: top-up health insurance plans provide you the coverage for expenses incurred due to organ donation. Although not every health insurance policy offers you this cover, with a top-up health insurance policy, it becomes a boon for plans that do cover these expenses.

Exclusions Under Top-Up Health Insurance Plans

Top-up health insurance plans do not cover you for the following expenses:

• Treatments required due to participation in adventure sports: Top-up health insurance plans do not cover the insured for expenses arising due to treatments necessitated due to participation in adventure sports such as mountain climbing, paragliding, etc.
• Expenses arising due to self-harm: You are not covered for expenses arising due to any act of self-harm including a suicide attempt.
• Cosmetic surgery: Top-up health insurance plans do not cover you for cosmetic surgery unless necessitated due to an injury or burn.
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Top-up health insurance plans do not cover you for Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

When is it Recommended to Use a Top Up Health Plan?

Generally, a top up health insurance plan offers only a single hospitalisation cover. The top up plan comes into action when your hospital expenses cross the deductible limit (at the time of hospitalisation).

For instance, Mr. Ashutosh Banerjee had made two claims of Rs. 1 Lakh and Rs. 2 Lakh respectively in a single year, wherein his health plan had a sum assured limit of Rs. 4 Lakh. Here in this case, Mr. Banerjee’s standard health insurance cover is sufficient to suffice his need. Sometime later, due to another unforeseen health disease, he again got hospitalized and the expenses turned out to be another Rs. 3 Lakhs. Now, in this scenario, Mr Ashutosh does not have enough funds to cover his medical needs and this is when a top up plan will come to his aid.

To state simply, a top up plan can be put to use when the policyholder has exhausted his threshold limit.

How to Buy a Top-Up Health Insurance Policy Online?

InsuranceDekho offers a hassle-free process of buying top-up health insurance plans online. All you need to do is follow the simple steps given below and you will be able to own the policy within a few minutes.

• Visit www.insurancedekho.com. Then select the health tab.
• Select your Gender. Then enter your Name and Mobile Number. You will receive an OTP on the entered number, please enter that.
• Answer the question ‘When do you want to purchase the policy. Then click on the ‘View Instant Quotes’ button to proceed.
• Choose the family members you wish to include under your plan along with yourself.
• Select the age of the selected family members and click on ‘Continue’.
• Enter your Email ID and City. Then click on the ‘Submit and View Quotes’ button. There will be several policy quotes displayed as per your selections. Select the plan that suits you the best as per your budget as well as requirements.
• Select the policy term for the chosen health insurance policy. Then enter the required details.
• Make the payment via secure payment gateway through any of the flexible payment modes offered.

Key Factors to Consider Before Buying Top-up Health Insurance Plan

Top-up health insurance plans offer added protection over and above your regular health insurance policy. But there are certain things to consider when buying top-up health insurance plans that help you make the most of this benefit, some of which are explained below:

1. Analyse the Premium: One of the most important factors to consider before buying a top-up health insurance policy is the premium in comparison to the coverage benefits offered. In order to make the best buying decision, you must also compare the premiums of different top-up health insurance. This will help you find the most feasible top-up health insurance policy that offers you the required coverage. If you find a top-up policy that suits your requirements, then you must not wait and buy it right away.
2. Deductibility: Deductible is the amount that the insurance company bears the healthcare expenses for and the policyholder bears the remaining amount. Every top-up health insurance policy comes with a fixed deductible amount which cannot be changed as per the requirements later. So, it is imperative to choose a health insurance policy with a suitable deductible as you would not be able to change it later.
3. Base Policy: A base health insurance policy is a regular health insurance policy along with which people buy a top-up policy. Though it is not mandatory to buy a base health insurance policy, it is prefered by most as it offers sufficient coverage.
4. Affordable Option: One of the facts about top-up plans is that they are more affordable than regular health insurance plans. Hence, many people prefer buying top-up health insurance plans instead of a new base health insurance policy. But one of the factors that decide the premium for a top-up health insurance policy is deductible. The higher the deductible amount, the lower will the premium and vice versa. So, choose wisely the policy that suits your budget.
5. Prefer a Single Insurer: It is recommended to buy a top-up health insurance policy from the insurance company of which you already have a base health insurance policy. This not only helps you build trust with your insurance company but also offer you convenience as you are already aware of the terms and conditions of various processes. Also, you can avail of additional benefits such as a waiver of the pre-existing waiting period.

These tips will help you select the best health insurance plan for yourself as well as your family members. Whatever you choose to buy, you must never compromise on health insurance plans. This is because wealth once lost can be regained but health cannot.