This monsoon season, everything you need to know about health insurance
When Pranav was in college, his father had met with an unfortunate road accident. It was raining heavily on that day and the roads were wet and slippery. Unable to see clearly, he rode his bike over a deep pothole filled with rainwater. He fell down, and badly fractured his knee. Consequently, he spent the next six months being bed-ridden, unable to move or work. The accident pushed Pranav’s family into severe financial debts, which took years to recover from.
Granted the beautiful monsoon brings with it relief from the scorching summer heat, sheaths of greenery, breezy rains, and sweet nostalgia. But it is also the season of clogged drainage systems, stagnant puddles, waterlogging incidents, and a host of clingy water-borne diseases. And there’s no escaping this, is there?
Despite driving safely, staying away from street food and water, and protecting ourselves from diseases, we inevitably fall prey to one or more monsoon-related health risks!
The only way out is to be prepared for ill-fated incidents. How? By remembering to cover yourself under the umbrella of health insurance.
Let’s take a look at
- Why should you get health insurance for monsoons?
- Which health insurance should you opt for?
- How to apply for monsoon cover insurance?
So, why should you get health insurance for monsoons?
The simple answer is, to protect yourself from the various health risks associated with the rainy season. What are these health risks? Let’s take a look at them below:
- Monsoon-specific illnesses
Since stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies, giving rise to deadly diseases like malaria, dengue, and chikungunya. Disease-causing microorganisms also contaminate food and cause gastrointestinal infections or stomach problems like diarrhea, and other water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, jaundice, hepatitis A, all of which severely affect our health. Not only this, even pulmonary illnesses like pneumonia are quite common during monsoon.
As a result, there are increased hospitalizations recorded at this time.
- Road accidents and electrocution
So many lives are lost to road accidents and unpredictable electrocutions during monsoons.
Given how the roads in India are filled with potholes, and puddles are such a common sighting, vehicles are quite likely to get damaged during monsoons. The fact that rain makes roads slippery as well, is another cause for worry. Proceed to apply brakes, and your tyres will probably skid and disturb your balance.
What’s more, water-logged roads and ill-maintained junction boxes are another recipe for disaster. It’s something most people lose sleepover! Although less common than road accidents, a significant number of electrocutions do occur in India due to poorly maintained roads and electric wires. Excessive rainfall makes it worse.
If you have a vehicle insurance policy, your cars and bikes won’t ditch you into financial troubles.
But what about monsoon-specific health insurance? Most policies don’t cover accident-related injuries, nor do they cover incidents like electrocution. That could spell huge trouble for you if you don’t act proactively and safeguard your medical needs during the monsoon.
Health Insurance Plans for Monsoon
Fortunately for all of us, there is a wide range of add-on insurance plans customers can opt for these days. One of these is the disease-specific health plan for monsoons. It includes waterborne ailments like hepatitis A, dengue, typhoid, cholera, and sometimes swine flu, to name a few.
If insured individuals were to fall prey to electrocutions or road accidents and injuries due to rain, they’d still be covered under the plan.
Your health insurance for the monsoon would be an extension to your existing individual or group plan. Even family floater plans can opt for these add-ons. The best part? Most of these customized plans have no age limitations.
The same year that Pranav’s father underwent a knee fracture, his sister had contracted malaria. Think about it, had Pranav’s parents invested in a health insurance policy beforehand, would they have to suffer from a financial setback on top of his father and sister’s health issues? The two of them could simply have dipped into their family floater’s sum insured and easily availed medical coverage. How convenient it would have been!
Well, it’s not too late. Getting health insurance for monsoon-specific illnesses and accidents is the most sensible decision you can make this season. Some top health insurance companies that offer monsoon coverage are:
- Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
- Reliance General Insurance
- Care Health Insurance
- HDFC Ergo General Insurance
Key Benefits of Getting Monsoon Health Insurance
- Full-fledged coverage against medical expenses resulting from the treatment of vector-borne or water-borne diseases.
- Coverage for accidental injuries
- Coverage for ambulance charges, pre and post hospitalization expenses, diagnostic investigations, out-patient treatment
- Cost of medicines covered
- Room rental charges including ICU covered
- No-claim bonus
- Cashless hospitalisation
How to apply for monsoon-specific health insurance?
Applying for monsoon-specific health insurance is just as simple as applying for any other regular insurance policy.
- Get in touch with your insurance provider or visit their website online.
- Look up their monsoon cover insurance plans.
- Compare and buy the plan that best covers your medical needs.
Secure your financial needs this monsoon
It makes sense to carry an umbrella when you go out in the rain. It also makes sense to safeguard your medical needs in accident-prone seasons. You may not be able to avert tragedy but you can be prepared for it. So, go ahead and find an insurance policy that best suits your needs, and secure your financial future.
In the meantime, maintain good hygiene, avoid roadside food, and take precautionary measures to stay safe. We wish you a happy monsoon season!
