Super top-up health insurance offers additional coverage once your basic health plan’s threshold is crossed, helping manage high medical expenses. It is ideal for those seeking cost-effective ways to boost their health coverage. But is it the right choice for you? Understanding how it works and who benefits most can help you make an informed decision.
What is Super Top-Up Health Insurance?
A super top-up health insurance is an additional coverage to an existing standard health plan. It helps you to cover any supplementary medical expenses if there are certain aspects that your existing plan does not cover.
It is expensive to add additional insurance benefits to the existing medical insurance policy. This is where super top-up health insurance comes into the picture. You can claim expenses under super top-up insurance once the deductible payment has been made.
What are the Advantages of Super Top-Up Health Insurance?
Buying super top-up health insurance has many benefits:
One-Time Payment
To account for the benefits of a super top-up, you have to pay deductibles once. However, through this one-time payment, you can claim coverage multiple times.
Personalise Your Deductibles
A deductible is an amount that a policyholder pays out of pocket before the inception of medical coverage. With the super top-up health plan, you get to choose the deductible limit. This deductible amount is usually based on your existing policy and desired coverage.
Lower Premiums, Higher Sum Insured
You can easily extend the coverage of expenses on your existing plan that provides less financial protection. It is also a cost-effective option.
Additional Benefits
The benefits of super top-up health insurance have more advantages than corporate policies. Some of the expenses are AYUSH treatments and critical illness coverage.
Tax Savings
Premiums paid as deductibles to super top-up health insurance are subject to deductions under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act.
Convenience
The super top-up’s addition to your existing medical insurance policy ensures that you can have the best treatment from the network hospitals. These check-ups are usually quick, and the insurer provides hassle-free settlement of claims.
Who is Super Top-Up Health Insurance for?
It is popular for its coverage of a vast variety of expenses at an affordable price. Let us break down who needs to consider opting for super top-up health insurance:
Senior Citizens
There is an increase in the medical insurance premium amount as your age increases. Therefore, health insurance for senior citizens and super top-ups can be a great alternative with lower premiums and greater coverage for those aged above 60 years.
Employees
If your corporate insurance plan does not include any necessary illness coverage, then you can plan to get a super top-up to enhance the coverage. This will directly increase the amount of the sum insured at a lesser cost than a standard plan.
Individuals
If your sum insured in the existing healthcare insurance policy is not adequate or does not include comprehensive benefits, then go for a super top-up plan. This policy will boost your expense coverage without replacing the existing plan.
What Expenses Does Super Top-Up Health Insurance Cover?
Before buying a super top-up plan, here is a list of expenses that it covers:
Hospitalisation Expenses
Expenses like doctor’s consultations, surgeries, diagnostic tests, anaesthesia, medication, and implants.
Pre- and post-care
Expenses that were incurred before admission and after being discharged from the medical facility.
Day-care Procedures
Inclusive of expenses for treatments that do not require an overnight admission in a hospital.
ICU and Other Room Rent
It covers all expenses relating to room rent, ICU charges, and nursing expenses.
Ambulance Services
It covers ambulance charges if you use it during an emergency.
Yearly Medical Check-ups
Once a specific policy period is over, super top-up health insurance provides complimentary check-ups.
How is Super Top-Up Health Insurance Different from Other Top-Up Plans?
The benefits of super top-up plans and top-up plans are almost similar. Under both these Mediclaim plans, the premium amount is low, and the coverage is high. However, there are minor differences between the two. The super top-up plan covers the overall hospitalisation bill over and above the threshold limit. Whereas, under a top-up plan, it only covers one single hospitalisation claim over its threshold limit.
The deductible application also varies for both the medical claims. Under top-up health insurance, a deductible is applicable to every claim individually. Whereas, for super top-up health insurance, the deductible applies to overall medical costs in a policy year.
What Expenses are Included in Super Top-Up Health Insurance?
Super top-up health insurance covers expenses like hospitalization, surgery, and daycare, and is also available as health insurance for family for broader protection. Super top-up includes the following expenses:
- Inpatient Hospitalisation:If you are taking admission in a hospital for illness, injury, or accident.
- Pre- and Post-Hospitalisation: It covers medical expenses up to a certain number of days before or after hospitalisation, before and after being discharged.
- Room Rent: It includes room charges, boarding, and nursing expenses.
- Ayush Treatment: It covers expenses for Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and homoeopathy systems of medicine.
- Ambulance Facility: It covers all ambulance expenses, like road ambulance or air ambulance.
What are the Ways of Claiming Health Insurance?
There are two major routes through which you can claim an expense:
Reimbursement of Claims
It is crucial to inform your insurance provider promptly regarding all the expenses you incurred. The proper manner of informing includes submitting bills and paperwork online so that the claim settlement is speedy.
Cashless Claims
If you select a network hospital for treatment, you can use your e-health card for a smooth payment experience.
Final Words
If you are an individual with few frequent medical expenses, then a regular top-up might suffice. However, if you are suffering from some serious medical ailment or are approaching the age of 50, it is recommended that you go for a super top-up health insurance policy.