It is common knowledge that senior citizens, i.e. individuals over the age of 60, are at a higher risk of falling ill. And falling ill, especially when you no longer have an active income, can be financially difficult on a person. This problem hits in addition to their bodies being weaker. Therefore they are increasingly incapable of bearing the burden of illness without immediate treatment.

This is the reason meaningful and comprehensive health plans for senior citizens exist. These plans mainly apply for individuals between 60-75 years of age. And they offer a unique set of benefits, including:

• Cashless Hospitalisation
• Covering Pre-existing Conditions
• No Medical Tests
• No day-care expenses, i.e. every procedure is covered no matter how short it is

With the IRDA’s new guidelines in place, it is dictated that every single healthcare provider has to offer insurance for people up to 65 years of age. Therefore, opting for citizen health insurance is an option. Not to mention, if you want to switch insurers at a later age, that also becomes possible.

Therefore, the top three reasons citizen health policies are important are:

• The number of benefits that come with these health policies, as stated above.
• The fact that there are more options along with better, cheaper care. This makes both medical expenses as well as hospitalisation and treatment costs easier on the citizens.
• You can beat medical inflation and get insured while the prices are still lower.

At Cover360, we help you choose the ideal health policies for senior citizens that suit the needs perfectly so that you are completely safe and secure in your old age!

Senior citizen health policies are a kind of health insurance specifically for the elderly in our society. They are meant to look after them in their old age and ensure they are medically and health-wise comfortable. They deserve the highest standard of care. That's what the full range of health plans for senior citizens give them with the multitude of other benefits they offer.

So, what are the benefits they offer?

• Covering hospitalisation expenses is the most crucial benefit of this insurance policy. Senior citizen health insurance covers hospitalisation for more than 24 hours with cashless treatment, covering nursing fees, doctor fees, room fees, medicine and drugs cost etc.
• They cover medical costs, both pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation, by focusing on treating pre-existing conditions in-hospital and out of the hospital. This is under the provision of the days being variable.
• They cover ambulance charges for transporting the insured patient to the hospital. However, this coverage may be subject to a maximum limit.
• As stated previously, pre-existing conditions and diseases are covered and, therefore, keep the insured safer and make hospitalisation more accessible.
• They cover day-care costs arising from more specialised treatments like chemotherapy, dialysis etc.

Therefore, the kind of benefits offered under senior citizen health plans is not negligible. They consider everything and keep the insured’s comfort in focus when determining the best course of action. This makes these policies excellent safety nets that every insurer should consider a necessity.

Our expert team at Cover360 aims to bring you such safety nets that give you coverage and keep you good and healthy for your senior years to come!

Senior citizen health policies are a kind of health insurance specifically for the elderly in our society. They are meant to look after them in their old age and ensure they are medically and health-wise comfortable. They deserve the highest standard of care, and that's what the plethora of health plans for senior citizens hope to give them with the multitude of benefits they offer.

With some expert comparing and contrasting, we came up with a list of the best senior citizen health insurance policies in India for your consideration:

• Age range: 46 – 70 years
• Sum assured: Rs. 50,000 – 5 lakhs
• Pre-existing conditions: Coverage begins from the 2nd year of the policy
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: Policy covers up to 3% of admissible hospital expenses
• Medical Check-Up: The complete list of procedures covered are: Fasting BSL, ECG, Urine R, Liquid Profile, HbA1c, SGPT, CBC, SGOT, CBC, Sr. Creatinine

• Age range: 60 – 75 years
• Sum assured: Rs. 1 – 10 lakhs
• Pre-existing conditions: Coverage begins from the 2nd year of the policy
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: Only covers post hospitalisation expenses up to Rs. 5000, excluding nursing charges, diagnostic charges, consultation fee, and medicine.
• Medical Check-Up: No pre-acceptance medical test required

• Age range: 60 – 80 years (renewable up to 90)
• Sum assured: Rs. 1 lakh (Mediclaim); Rs. 2 lakhs (Critical Illness)
• Pre-existing conditions: Coverage begins after1 claim-free year while the policy
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: 30 days (Mediclaim) and 60 days (Critical Illness) post-hospitalisation covered
• Medical Check-Up: Not required if the individual has been covered for the last 3 years; Required if this condition is not fulfilled.

• Age range: 60 – 80 years (renewable up to 90)
• Sum assured: Rs. 1 – 1.5 lakhs
• Pre-existing conditions: Coverage begins after18 months of the policy
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: Covers 30 days pre-hospitalisation (max: 5% of hospital bill) and 60 days post (max: 10% of hospital bill)
• Medical Check-Up: Required

• Age range: 61 – 80 years
• Sum assured: Rs. 1 – 3 lakhs
• Pre-existing conditions: Covered after 4 years of non-stop renewal
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: Covers 30 days pre-hospitalisation and 60 days post (max: 10% of hospital bill based on which bill is less)
• Medical Check-Up: Required with 50% reimbursement after proposal acceptance

• Age range: 61 and above
• Sum assured: Rs. 2 – 5 lakhs
• Pre-existing conditions: Covered after 3 years of non-stop renewal
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: Covers 30 days pre-hospitalisation and 60 days post
• Medical Check-Up: Required with 50% reimbursement after proposal acceptance

• Age range: 61 and above
• Sum assured: Rs. 1 – 5 lakhs
• Pre-existing conditions: Covered after 2 years of non-stop renewal
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: Covers 30 days pre-hospitalisation and 60 days post
• Medical Check-Up: Requires medical tests from specific diagnostic centres

• Age range: 65 and above
• Sum assured: Rs. 1 – 5 lakhs (without deductibles); Rs. 1 – 10 lakhs (with deductibles)
• Pre-existing conditions: Covered after 4 years of non-stop renewal
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: Covers 60 days pre-hospitalisation and 90 days post
• Medical Check-Up: No medical test required up to 55 years of age if there are no pre-existing medical conditions, i.e. no medical history

• Age range: 61 and above
• Sum assured: Rs. 2 – 5 lakhs
• Pre-existing conditions: Covered after 4 years of non-stop renewal
• Pre and Post Hospitalisation Expenses: Covers 30 days pre-hospitalisation and 60 days post
• Medical Check-Up: Required with 50% reimbursement after proposal acceptance

This list is not in order of best – they are all good policies and offer various benefits. However, you may still require a different plan, depending on your needs. And this is why our team at Cover 360 exists! Consider these as an introductory guide to what to look for when buying senior citizen health insurance.

And then, with our help, we can introduce you to the best health plans for senior citizens so you can make a completely informed decision!

Nearly every major insurance provider now offers health plans for senior citizens. Their rampant popularity has allowed these policies to blossom and become more intricate. This means that they benefit the elderly community even more now. Every policy has its inclusions and exclusions, waiting period etc. just like regular health insurance.

There are several things to keep in mind when choosing your senior citizen health insurance. And a brief perusal of our website tells you what exactly to look for. Now, suppose you have bought this insurance policy. Now what?

A lot of agencies that help you choose your insurance and nothing more. But what about claiming your insurance? After undergoing treatment and hospitalisation, what is the next step? How do you claim insurance?

The first thing you need to know is when you can claim insurance. You can only claim insurance if you have been hospitalised for 24 hours or avail medical emergency treatment.

What are you claiming for? You are claiming insurance, so your provider transfers money for your treatment to the hospital. This means that your treatment is a cashless treatment sometimes through expense reimbursement. Regardless of the mode your provider follows, you need to place your claim within 24 hours of hospitalisation.

You can usually find the claim form at the insurer’s office or, since we live in the digital age, on their website. Once you fill the form, submit it to the insurer. Always remember to attach medical bills and reports given by your doctor and the hospital. Any other supporting documents are also necessary. Your insurer usually provides a list of documents you need to submit. Follow this process, and the claim goes much faster.

At Cover360, we believe in helping you along each step of the insurance process. This includes helping you to claim insurance when necessary. We want your insurance journey to be smooth and simple!

Like every health insurance policy, senior citizen health policies also have numerous tax benefits. This is due to the active government intervention that regulates health plans for senior citizens.

These regulations began in 2006/2007 when the government capped the amount that premiums could be raised on this health policy. This was in response to several insurers making premiums on these policies inexplicably high.

Finally, the IRDA put down various rules for this health insurance policy. And, like other health insurance policies, it also offered tax benefits.

Under this plan, you can even avail tax exemption under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act. You become eligible for a tax rebate of Rs. 30,000 if you applied for senior citizen health insurance for your parents. You can avail an additional rebate of Rs. 5000 for preventive health check-ups as well.

If you are an earning member of your family and also have applied for health insurance for your children, you get an even greater rebate of Rs. 25,000.
Therefore, the total tax rebate you get under this section is 30000+25000+5000 = Rs. 60,000!

Although this should not be the primary incentive for this health policy, it is an attractive feature. A lot of people opt for this insurance policy because of this benefit, and it truly pays off!

At Cover360, we bring you such benefits by choosing the most ideal senior citizen health insurance policy. Our recommendations are always suited to your needs, keeping you and your necessities in mind!