A term insurance policy will cover your life with the lowest possible premium. There are group policies as well as individual policies. It is very important to figure out your insurance needs and you should subscribe to the best insurance plan. The insurance requirements should be reassessed and it is a worthwhile option to consider a second insurance plan as well. If you buy a second insurance plan, the information about the first insurance plan should be shared with the second insurer.

What is a term plan?

A term plan is a type of pure life insurance plan in which one’s life risk is efficiently covered. When the policyholder dies, the payout is made to the beneficiary. If the policyholder is alive after the term, there is no monetary benefit. Thus, a term plan does not offer survival benefits. You should buy a term plan to cover the risk at the lowest possible premium.

Rejection of death claim

A death claim can be rejected on various grounds. The following are some of the reasons:

• Incorrect/insufficient information in the proposal form
• Failure to disclose accurate health history
• Lapse of insurance policy

Most of the policies are settled by the insurance companies. You can go refer to the claim settlement ratio to understand the efficiency of the insurance company in dealing with the death claims.

The claim settlement ratio is an indicator of the performance of the insurance company. Even though it is not an absolute indicator of the performance of the insurance company, you can depend upon it to some extent.

As there is a risk in settling the claims, you should explore alternate options. By choosing more than one term plan, you can overcome the issue to some extent.

Benefits of two-term insurance plan

You can buy two or more term insurance plans to fulfill your insurance needs. It is possible to have more than one beneficiary for the insurance plan. If you have two insurance plans, there is no stipulation of nominating the same beneficiary for both the insurance plans. In addition, you can choose the best plan with an affordable premium by making use of term insurance calculator and comparing the plans online. 

• Extra protection – Extra protection by subscribing to more than one term insurance plan.
• Death benefit – The beneficiary can avail death benefit from more than one policy.
• Avoidance of claim rejection – The claim rejection can be coped with when you go for multiple insurance plans. Even if one insurer rejects your claim, you have a good chance having another insurer settling your claim. Thus, your nominee/beneficiary is well protected.
• Claim settlement ratio – The claim settlement ratio can be different for different insurance policies. The chances of your claim increase if the insurer has a high claim settlement ratio.
• Reach the milestone – Multiple insurance plans will help you plan as per the milestones in life. You can subscribe to an insurance plan based on the needs of your dependents. Children’s education, children’s marriage and purchase of new house are some of the new milestones which should be fulfilled with insurance policies.
• Death claim - If the policyholder dies before the end of the policy term, the beneficiary will receive a lump sum payout, which is known as a death claim. The payment to the beneficiary will be made as per the terms and conditions of the policy.

It is customary to disclose complete information about the first insurance policy to the second insurance company. If you buy a third insurance policy, the information about first and second insurance policies should be shared with the third insurance company.

Misrepresentation of facts will lead to the rejection of claims.

Restrictions

There are certain restrictions on holding more than one life insurance plan. The sum assured of all the insurance policies should not exceed the Human Life Value.

The risk assessment is conducted by the insurance company. As soon as you submit a proposal to an insurance company, it will go through the underwriting process. The insurance company will assess various kinds of health-related risks, before determining your premium and sum assured.

The insurability is based on the annual income of the applicant and the existing life cover.

Policy for loan repayment

If you need to repay a loan of Rs. 20 lakh against a home or property in 10 years, you can take two insurance policies instead of one policy. You should buy one term plan of Rs. 20 lakh for 10 years and another term plan of Rs. 50 lakh for 10 years.

Case 1: When both the policies have been claimed successfully, it is possible to repay your loan and the loan account will be closed. The payout received from the other insurance policy will fulfill the needs of the beneficiary.

Case 2: If one of the policies is rejected by an insurance company due to non-compliance of the terms and conditions of the insurance company by the insured, the beneficiary will still be able to repay the loan without any issues.

Thus, multiple policies safeguard the interests of the policyholder in the best possible way.

Claiming multiple insurance policies

While claiming multiple insurance policies, you should furnish complete information about all the term insurance plans to the insurance company. A standard procedure is followed by insurance companies as per the guidelines laid down by the IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India).

All insurance companies work under the supervision of IRDAI. The IRDAI protects the interests of customers. If there are any issues in claiming the policies, a ticket can be raised with the respective insurance company. If you do not get a response from the insurance company, it can be escalated to IRDAI as well. The insurance regulator will help you resolve the issue amicably.

Safeguarding the interests of beneficiaries?

You should buy at least two term policies to get a payout sufficient enough to fulfill the needs of beneficiaries. The death benefit can be claimed on all the insurance policies by the beneficiary.

The beneficiary must collect the death certificate from the concerned authorities and it should be submitted along with the death claim form. The insurance company will process the claim form and the claim will be settled within 10 days.

The insurance company will verify the credentials of the beneficiary and the payout will be made at the earliest. If the beneficiary fails to provide complete information, the insurance company can demand additional information. If the beneficiary fails to submit the necessary documents, he/she should provide the same as per the communication provided by the insurance company.

How to apply for multiple insurance plans?

If you have plans to buy more than one insurance plan, the tips offered by experts should be followed. You will save time and effort by systematically planning for multiple policies.

• Approaching an agency – If you approach an insurance aggregator, it is possible to explore insurance plans from multiple companies.
• Medical examination – You need to undergo the medical examination only once and the information is sufficient to be shared with all the insurance companies. Thus, you will save time and money by undergoing the medical examination once.
• Insurability - The insurance company should figure out the insurable interest of the beneficiary. You should fulfill the necessary documentation to fulfill the same. If you include your close family members such as father, mother, son, or daughter as beneficiaries, your proposal will likely be easily processed. While adding a third party such as friend or colleague, you should prove their insurable interest through documentation.
• Assessment of insurance needs – It is very important to assess your insurance needs on a regular basis. You should assess your insurance needs as per a change in income or familial responsibilities. Opting for additional/multiple insurance plans should not be a financial strain.
• Buying at a young age – You should buy the term insurance plan at a young age. When you buy the policy at a young age, the premium is low. The same premium amount will be paid throughout the policy term. Hence, there will not be financial difficulty in contributing to the insurance premium.
• Reviews – You are advised to go through the reviews shared by experts. The reviews on various insurance plans offered by different companies will help you settle for the best. You can also opt for additional riders in an insurance policy to increase the overall benefit from an insurance plan. The best insurance policy should efficiently cover major life changes.

A Final Word

When you buy more than one term insurance plan, you pay an additional insurance premium. You may find it difficult to manage multiple policies. However, you can opt for multiple policies when the benefits outweigh the difficulties in managing the plans. There is no restriction in purchasing multiple policies from various insurance companies. When you purchase insurance policies from different companies, you should share the information about past term insurance plans while applying for a policy with a new insurance company.