Health Insurance in Kolkata

Introduction

Kolkata is the capital city of the eastern state of West Bengal. The state is prominent not only from the political point of view but also from an economic and historical point of view. The city was central to the Indian Independence Movement with many significant contributions to the cause. It was previously known as Calcutta and was officially renamed in the year 2001. Kolkata is strategically important as well as the main port of communication to North-Eastern India.

The health sector of the city is made up of many private and public sector hospitals that aims to provide excellent medical attention to the residents of the city. However, as per a recent survey, almost 80% of the population would prefer to get the required medical attention from a private sector hospital and not a public or government hospital. The reasons for such preference can be the lack of proper health care infrastructure in these hospitals, lack of good or adequate medical personnel, lack of required medicines, etc.

As the health care in these hospitals is low, the residents of the city prefer to go to private clinics or hospitals for their needs. However, this exposes them to the high medical costs which may not be affordable to all the residents of the city. Hence, it is essential for every resident to have a good health insurance policy for themselves and their family members to ensure that they get good and timely medical attention.

Given below are a few details related to the health insurance for the residents of Kolkata.

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Who can get health insurance in Kolkata?

Health insurance is a type of insurance that is available for all the residents of Kolkata. There are multiple health insurance providers in the city with more than 200 options of health insurance plans for the residents to choose from. These plans provide the insured person protection against any unforeseen medical emergency as well as for any planned procedures related to any approved medical conditions.

There are many eligibility parameters set by the insurers that have to be met by the applicants in order to be eligible for the health insurance policies. These eligibility parameters are unique for every insurer as per their set of guidelines and policies.

Some of the common eligibility parameters for health insurance in Kolkata are stated below.

Age of the applicant

The age of the applicant is the first step in checking eligibility for the health insurance policy. Most insurers require the applicants to be of a minimum of 18 years of age to be eligible for the health insurance policy. The maximum age of eligibility is 65 years or 70 years as per the guidelines of the insurer.

Medical tests

Like life insurance, health insurance also requires the applicants to undergo medical tests to get a complete history of the applicant and relevant health parameters to determine the premium amount to be paid.

Pre-approved medical conditions

Every insurer has its own set of pre-approved medical conditions that can be excluded or included in the claim for health insurance. If the insured person has any medical condition that is from the pre-approved list of the insurer, they can claim the benefit for its cost of treatment.

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What are the factors that can be used to compare health insurance plans?

Health insurance is a very important investment that has to be part of every person’s portfolio. Having health insurance will help the individuals not only get access to good health insurance plans but also get tax benefits along the way. This warrants the need to get the best health insurance plan to ensure optimum coverage and benefits for the applicant and their family members.

Some of the important factors to consider in comparison to health insurance plans are mentioned below.

• The amount of coverage that is provided by the insurer is the first point of comparison for any health insurance policy.
• The tenure of the policy is another crucial factor to be considered by applicants. The tenure should be adequate to ensure coverage is provided even in the later stage of life.
• Another important factor to consider is the number of family members included in the plan and the premium to be paid along with the frequency of the premium to be paid.
• Applicants must also consider the list of pre-approved medical conditions that can be covered under the health insurance plans as well the list of exclusions that are specifically not covered by the insurer. This will help them make an informed decision with respect to a health insurance plan.
• The reputation of the insurer also has to be factored in along with the claim settlement process and the past customer experiences.

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FAQs – Health Insurance in Kolkata