Best Health Insurance Plans For Pre-Existing Diseases To Buy in 2022

Health insurance plans are beneficial in multifarious ways as they offer you coverage against various diseases, including pre-existing diseases (PED). Pre-existing diseases are healthcare conditions that a person was suffering from before purchasing a health insurance policy.

PEDs are diseases that you have had since the last 48 months or less before you bought a policy. If you want to enjoy health insurance coverage for pre-existing diseases, you need to wait till the waiting period of your policy (from 4 months to 2 years). During this period, your insurer won’t pay you anything even if you raise a claim. But, in some cases, health insurance providers may pay a portion of such payments under the “co-payment” clause, where you also need to bear a certain portion of your claim.

The Insurance and Regulatory Authority of India (IRDAI), on 10th February 2020, introduced a new term for a pre-existing illness, including medical condition, sickness, disease, or injury. Any such healthcare conditions that have been diagnosed within 48 months before the date of issuance will be considered a PED. According to the new policy terms, only those diseases diagnosed before purchasing the health insurance policy will be considered PEDs. Let’s take a look at some of the best health insurance policies in India in 2022

4 Best medical insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions in India

Here we are going to mention some of the best medical insurance for pre-existing conditions in India that offer financial coverage for PEDs without any co-payment clause.

1. Apollo Munich Energy Health Insurance Plan 

• This health insurance policy offers coverage for pre-existing diseases that can be availed by policyholders from the first day of the policy purchase.
• The policy plan comes up with no waiting period and co-payment clauses
• This policy is specially designed for people who are suffering from Type 1, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension
• The policy plan also compensates for hospitalization charges, offers coverage for 144 daycare procedures, and a no-claim bonus benefit
• The range of the sum insured amount is between Rs. 2 Lakh to Rs. 50 Lakh. 

2. Aditya Birla Activ Health Enhanced Plan 

• This plan offers coverage of pre-existing ailments, without any co-payment or waiting period clause
• The plan provides comprehensive health benefits that a policyholder can enjoy from the day of policy commencement
• The plan offers coverage for pre-and post-hospitalization charges, an annual free health checkup, transportation costs, international coverage for critical illnesses, and so on
• The plan comes up with a sum insured between Rs. 2 Lakh to Rs 2 Crore.
• By paying high premiums, you can purchase optional add-ons to strengthen your policy.

3. HDFC ERGO Energy Gold Health Insurance Plan 

• This plan offers coverage for pre-existing diseases from the day one of the policy purchase
• This policy targets people who are suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and impaired glucose tolerance
• This policy reimburses the charges of pre-and post-hospitalization and has more than 10000+ network hospitals where a policyholder will get cashless treatment facilities.
• The policy offers curated wellness programs for regularly monitoring the policyholder’s health with a free HbA1C checkup.
• The sum insured amount is between Rs. 2 Lakh and Rs. 50 Lakh. 

4. Star Health Diabetes Safe Health Insurance Plan 

• As the name suggests, this policy is ideally designed for diabetes patients
• You can purchase this policy either as a family floater plan or an individual cover.
• Pre-existing disease coverage will be provided under this plan from the first day of policy commencement after the completion of basic medical tests.
• The policy also offers OPD coverage and surgery costs, subject to sub-limits
• The range of the sum insured amount is between Rs. 3 Lakh to Rs. 10 lakh. 

7 Points to consider while buying health insurance for pre-existing diseases

1. The terms and conditions are not the same for all health insurance policies for pre-existing conditions

Based on your health insurance policy, types of coverage, add-on riders, insurance company, etc., the screening process, the waiting period and list of pre-existing illnesses may differ. Before offering you a policy, most health insurers will ask you to go for medical checkups. Some insurance companies may focus on your health history and age. So, you must check the process of purchase and the terms and conditions before making your commitment.

2. Don’t conceal your pre-existing illness

Don’t hide any information from your insurance provider to avoid a hassle-free claim process. If you don’t disclose your pre-existing conditions, the insurance company can reject your claim and also cancel your policy. This will create untoward complications during a healthcare contingency. Be honest and disclose all your health information to the insurer at the time of purchase.

3. Not all health plans cover pre-existing conditions

Every health insurance plan won’t offer coverage for pre-existing conditions. So, check with your health insurance company at the time of purchase and choose a plan wisely.

4. A waiting period for pre-existing conditions

For PEDs, a policyholder can’t claim immediately after purchasing a policy from the insurer. The policyholder must need to complete the waiting period that ranges from 30 days to 4 years before initiating the claim. During the waiting period, the insurer won’t reimburse your claim for pre-existing ailments. Under this scenario, you need to pay all your expenses from your side. A health insurance policy will offer you coverage for PEDs after the completion of the waiting period. The waiting period is basically between two to four years, it depends on the type of policy, age, illness, and so on.

5. You can waive off the waiting period in some cases

By paying some additional premium, you can waive the waiting period clause. Under this option, the waiting period duration is either truncated or it is removed completely. But the insurance company may not offer you this option if your underlying condition is serious or you are an aged person. So, before purchasing, confirm with your insurer.

6. The pre-existing illness can affect the premium of your health insurance policy

If you have a pre-existing illness, then your premium will be on the higher side as compared to those who have no medical conditions. The premium amount will be considered based on your illness, age, policy coverage, etc. But never hide any information from your insurer, irrespective of your premium amount. Though you can save some money by hiding information, your claims may get rejected in the future and you need to pay everything from your pocket.  

7. The insurer may deny you a health insurance policy

The insurance company may not offer you coverage against certain types of pre-existing diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, or heart attacks in the past. Though you may get a policy, certain diseases won’t be covered up by the policy plan.

The Conclusion

Before making any commitment, compare all available policies for pre-existing diseases and then, make a wise move. Select a policy based on your needs and pre-existing ailments so that you will get the utmost benefits from the plan.