Child Health Insurance Plans

What is Children Health Insurance?

Children health insurance is a type of health insurance policy that covers the healthcare requirements of kids. It is designed to cover the medical expenses incurred on hospitalization, vaccination and clinical check-ups of children. It financially secures the health of a child by offering monetary support to the parents when the child falls sick, gets injured or is diagnosed with a disease.

A child health insurance plan can be purchased for infants, pre-teens as well as teenagers. Parents can purchase children health insurance plans and avail quality treatment for their kids at the right time.

List of Children Health Insurance Plans in India

Take a look at the various child health insurance plans available in India:

Why Should You Buy Health Insurance for Children?

Investing in a children health insurance policy is immensely useful for your child in the long run. Take a look at the reasons why you should buy a children health insurance plan for your kids:

• Prone to Injuries –Young children are more prone to accidents as they don’t know how to take care of themselves. Infants can also get easily hurt while learning to walk and run. As a result, kids easily get injured. With health insurance for kids, you do not have to worry about paying for your child’s treatment as it will be taken care of by the insurance provid
• Weaker Immunity –Kids are more vulnerable to catching an infection or contracting a disease because they have a weaker immune system as compared to adults. Frequent visits to the hospital can impact your finances adversely. But in the case of a child health insurance policy, the treatment cost of any unforeseen disease or infection contracted by your kid will be covered by the insurer. 
• More Risk Exposure –Usually, children are more exposed to diseases, viruses and infections because they go out to play often and are not mindful about taking precautions. For instance, kids may eat something without washing their hands and fall sick. A child health insurance policy allows you to ensure the best medical treatment for your kids without exhausting your savings. 
• Poor Lifestyle Habits –The lifestyle of children has become poor over the last couple of decades. More children are ditching physical activities for watching TV and playing games on phones. Even eating habits have deteriorated as more kids prefer junk food over home-cooked food. As a consequence, children have become more prone to lifestyle diseases. But if your child is covered under health insurance, it will pay for their treatment of a variety of health problems.

Types of Children Health Insurance Plans

Broadly, child health insurance plans can be divided into two types:

1. Family Floater Health Insurance– It provides medical coverage to a child along with their family members on a floater sum insured basis. It provides comprehensive protection for your child by doubling up as a children health insurance policy. Such plans generally cover about 4 and 7 members of the family, including children.  Going for a family health plan for your child is more financially feasible as it offers wider coverage at an affordable premium.
2. Individual Health Insurance for Kids– It provides customized coverage for a child on an individual sum insured basis. It only covers the medical expenses of the insured child and not of other family members. As compared to family floater plans, this type of child health insurance plan is available for a lower premium. 

Read More: How to Get Health Cover for Your New Born Baby?

Inclusions of Children Health Insurance Plans

A child health insurance plan provides the following coverage:

• In-patient Hospitalization Expenses –It covers the medical expenses incurred on the hospitalization of the insured child for more than 24 hours. It includes the ICU charges, cost of medicines, diagnostic services, room rent, nursing charges, etc.
• NewbornBaby Cover – It provides coverage for the medical expenses incurred on the neonatal care of a newborn baby. This cover is usually available as part of the maternity benefit if opted by the mother of the baby.
• Day Care Treatments –It covers the cost of availing day care treatments for the insured child that requires a maximum hospital admission of less than 24 hours.
• Pre-hospitalization Expenses –It pays for any medical expenses incurred by the insured child before getting admitted to a hospital. It is usually available for 30 to 90 days before hospitalization.
• Post-hospitalization Expenses –It covers the cost of any medical consultations or healthcare services availed by the insured child after getting discharged from the hospital. It is usually covered for 60 to 180 days after hosp
• Vaccination Cover –It pays for the medical expenses incurred on the vaccination of a newborn baby in the first year. This cover is also available alongside the maternity benefit cover opted by the baby’s mother.  
• OPD Treatment –It covers the cost of availing outpatient consultations, dental treatment or diagnostic services for the insured child.
• Ambulance Charges –It provides coverage for the charges incurred on availing ambulance services to transport the insured child to the nearest hospital during a health emergency.
• Domiciliary Hospitalization –It pays for the medical expenses incurred on the treatment of the insured child at home on the advice of a qualified doctor.

Exclusions of Children Health Insurance Plans in India

The following medical expenses are excluded under health insurance for kids:

• Treatment for any injuries sustained during participation in adventure sports
• Treatment forpre-existing diseases of the child until the waiting period is over
• Treatment forany congenital disabilities of the insured child
• Treatment for personality or behavioural disorders in the insured child
• Treatment for any injuries sustained due to war or nuclear perils

Benefits of Buying Children Health Insurance Plans

Children health insurance plans come with the following key benefits:

• ComprehensiveMedical Coverage – It covers the insured kid against a wide range of medical expenses, such as hospitalization costs, treatment for accidental injury, vaccination costs, OPD consultations, etc. Some plans may also offer value-added services like free health check-up facilities.
• Financial Security –By buying a children health insurance policy, your child will be financially protected against any unforeseen medical emergencies at any given point in time. 
• No Compromises on Treatment – It prevents you from compromisingon the treatment of your child due to financial constraints. Instead, it allows you to get the best available treatment for your child.
• Cashless Hospitalization Services –All child health insurance plans come with cashless hospitalization services if you get your child admitted to a network hospital of your insurance company for treatment.
• Family Discount –If you choose to cover your child under your health insurance policy on an individual sum insured basis, you will be able to avail a family discount on the premium amount.
• Tax Benefits –You can avail tax-saving benefits on the health insurance premium paid for your child’s policy under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act.

Children Health Insurance Eligibility Criteria

Take a look at the eligibility criteria to buy a child health insurance plan in India:

Please note that children below the age of 5 years can only be covered if at least one parent is covered under the health plan. 

Moreover, the eligibility criteria may vary from one child health insurance plan to another.

Tips for Choosing the Right Children Health Insurance Policy

Take a look at some useful tips to choose the right health insurance plan for your child:

• Check the Sum Insured– Before you choose a child health insurance plan, you must check the sum insured of different plans. You must go ahead with a plan that comes with the optimum sum insured to cover the various medical expenses of your child. If you opt for lower coverage, you will have to pay money from your own pockets during the claim settlement. If you opt for a higher sum insured, you will have to pay a higher premium.
• Check the Policy Coverage –Besides sum insured, you should also check the coverage offered by different children health insurance plans. Choose a plan that provides the desired coverage to your child at an affordable premium price.
• Go for Newborn Baby Cover – If you are planning to start or expand your family, then make sure to opt for a child health insurance plan that comes with a newborn baby cover. Doing so will cover your newborn baby against any infection due to weather changesor pathogens from day 1.
• Read the Policy Exclusions –All health insurance plans for kids come with certain exclusions. While buying the policy, make sure to go through the exclusions of the plan carefully so that you are clear of what your child will not be covered for. In case any of your desired covers are excluded from a plan, buy another health
• Opt for Suitable Add-on Covers – At the time of buying a children health insurance policy, include any necessary add-on covers to your policy, such as no room rent, no sub-limits, etc. By buying add-on covers, you can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses in case your child gets sick or hurt in an accident.
• Check for Nearby Network Hospitals –Make sure to go through the list of network hospitals of an insurance company before choosing a child health insurance plan. Prefer to buy the policy from an insurer, which has a few network hospitals near your house. This will be extremely useful when you need to avail cashless hospitalization facility for your child.
• Compare Children Health Insurance Plans Online – Before you make the final pick, make sure to compare all child health insurance plans online at Policybazaar.com. By making a comparison, you will be able to choose the best plan for your child at an affordable price.

Common Mistakes to Avoid While Buying a Children Health Insurance Plan

A lot of people make certain mistakes while buying health insurance for their kids that cost them heavily later. Here are some common mistakes to avoid while buying a child health insurance plan:

• Opting for Lower Coverage –Do not buy a children health insurance plan with lower coverage just to reduce the premium. A plan with lower coverage may not cover your child’s health needs completely. As a result, you will have to pay for the additional medical expenses from your own pockets as they will not be paid by the insurer.
• Hiding Your Child’s Medical History –Do not hide your child’s medical history from the insurance provider. Doing so can lead to rejection of future claims and cancellation of the policy in case the insurer finds out later. Therefore, make sure to disclose your child’s medical history truthfully to the insurance company at the time of buying the policy.
• Overlooking the Co-payment Clause – Do not ignore the co-payment clause in your child’s health insurance plan. Co-payment increases your out-of-pocket expenses during claims as it requires you to pay a part of the claim amount. If you overlook the co-payment clause and end up buying a policy with a high co-payment, it will impact your savings adversely.
• Relying on Group Health Insurance Policy –Do not rely completely on the group health insurance plan offered by your employer to cover your child’s healthcare needs. Group health plans are usually insufficient to cover the health needs of all the family members and may result in a shortage of coverage for your child at the time of need. Thus, make sure to buy a separate health insurance policy for your child that provides comprehensive coverage to your child.

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