May 2017 - Turtlemint

8 ways to keep your car cool in summer

May 22, 2017May 13, 2021 Ronit Khopkar

Ever wondered, why new lovers prefer to ride off into the sunset?

It’s probably because they want to avoid being roasted alive inside their car under the sweltering summer sun! They’d surely start out on their journey together much earlier in the day, if only they knew how simple it was to keep their car comfortably cool in the summers.

Here’s a quick look at the 8 hacks that can help you and your car beat the heat this summer:

To keep your car from reaching scorching temperatures:

Park in the shade

When a car is parked in the sun for an extended period, its interior starts to heat up. In the direct sunlight, things like the steering wheel, leather seats, and the exposed metal in the seat-belts can get hot enough to burn the skin! Keep the temperature inside your car down by parking it in a shaded area or garage.

Use sunshades

Since glass does not absorb heat very well, sunlight easily pours into the car from the windows and windshields and the heat builds up, unable to escape. Use sunshades or visors for the windows and the windshield to prevent the interior of your car from heating up like a sauna on four wheels.

Leave the windows open

Even on cool days, cars can heat up by more than 40 degrees within an hour. Avoid the hot car problem by rolling down the windows just an inch to provide some ventilation. Pair this hack with an inexpensive solar-powered fan for best results.

Drape the seats

For a cooler interior, place cloth covers on the car seats. Use lighter colors as they absorb less heat from the sun than the dark colors do. Draping the seats with wet towels also works well.

Slam the door

Roll down a car window while you open and close the door opposite from it. Since hot air rises above cooler air, it’ll be expelled from the car and replaced with air of ambient temperature.

Sprinkle some water

Place a few drops of water on the hot surfaces of the car that you need to touch. Alternatively, you can wipe them down with a damp cloth. The water will absorb the surrounding heat and evaporate, making the hot surfaces like the steering wheel less painful to touch.

Use the bottom vents

When you get in your car, resist the urge to turn on the upper circulation vents to get the air flowing. Use the bottom vents to push out all the trapped hot air up and out of the windows. Also, ensure that your car’s air conditioner is set to draw fresh air from outside and not to re-circulate the hot stale air.

Check the coolant

If your car doesn’t cool down after 7-10 minutes, it could be a sign of overheating. The car engine runs the risk of overheating if there isn’t enough coolant (antifreeze). To determine whether the coolant level is low, check the coolant reservoir under the hood, but remember to wait for the engine to cool down before you top it up.

Summertime is truly magical. Have appropriate car insurance riders in place to save yourself from sticky situations and ruin fun time. If it weren’t for the blistering heat, going for a drive during this time could prove to be a really wonderful and worthy experience.

Remember, once the summer is done with, your car will need a different type of care. Yes, you need to gear up for monsoons too. Until then, follow the above hacks this summer to keep your car from turning into an oven and to get the most out of its time under the sun.

Read more about Anatomy of a car insurance plan

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Demystifying grace period and free-look period in health insurance

May 12, 2017May 13, 2021 Rupanjali Mitra Basu

Ram and Shyam were two best friends, both had a problem with their respective health plans. Ram felt that his agent had cheated him into buying a health plan which had a higher premium (his research showed him plans with the similar benefits having lower premium rates). Shyam, on the other hand, had missed renewing his health plan on time (he was on a business trip). Both felt that they would suffer the consequences. Ram – by paying a higher premium. Shyam – by having his policy lapsed. Dejected and sad, they were looking for a possible solution when they stumbled across the concepts of Grace Period and Free-look Period. It was like manna from heaven!

Did you know that you can pay your premiums even after the due date has passed? That too without any additional charges or the fear of your policy lapsing! What if someone tells you that you can cancel your policy after buying it if you are not satisfied?

Your health insurance policy has various provisions to safeguard your, the policyholder’s, interests. Various clauses and terms are inherent in the insurance plan for the same. Two such concepts are:

Grace Period
Free-look Period

Do they sound the same? They are not. A grace period is completely different from a free-look period. Let us understand these concepts in details:

What is a Grace Period?

In every health insurance policy, there is a due date for paying the insurance premium. However, you might not be able to pay your premiums by the due date. Either because you forget or because you are in a financial crunch, you might miss paying the premium by the due date. In these situations, the policy allows a grace period for paying the premiums due. The grace period is essentially an extra tenure allowed by the company to enable you to pay the outstanding premiums. During the grace period the policy does not lapse. However, if you fall sick and raise a claim during the grace period, it would not be paid.

What is the tenure of the grace period?

The tenure of the grace period varies between different plans. Usually, it ranges from 15 days to 30 days.

What are the benefits of Grace Period?

A grace period has benefits which are as follows:

The policy does not lapse during the grace period and you can retain the plan benefits.
It helps in a cash crunch when you don’t have sufficient funds to pay the premium.

What is Free-look period?

A free-look period, also called a cooling-off period, is the time allowed within which you can opt out from the plan if you are not satisfied. The free-look period starts from the date of policy issuance and continues for 15 days. Within these 15 days, if you have second thoughts or feel dissatisfied with the policy, you can cancel the plan and avail the refund of your premium.

Click here to know why you should invest in a health plan.

What is the tenure of free-look period?

A period of 15 days is allowed as free-look period to cancel the plan. In case of distant marketing channels and in some plans, this period is increased to 30 days.

What happens when the policy is cancelled in the free-look period?

If you cancel the policy in the free-look period, the premium which you paid for buying the plan is refunded. However, the entire premium is not refunded as it is adjusted for the applicable charges incurred on issuing the policy. Such charges include stamp duty, cost of medical examinations conducted (if any) and the proportionate cost of risk cover allowed after issuance and before cancellation.

What is the difference between grace period and free-look period?

Both these concepts are technically different. Let’s see how:

So, now you know what grace period and free-look period are. Don’t confuse between the two. Know them and enjoy these benefits allowed by your health insurance plan.

Click here for common health insurance terms

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Why newly-wed couples need maternity expense and new born benefit

May 12, 2017May 13, 2021 Team Turtlemint

Rohan and Seema were planning their wedding. All the preparations were done for the big day. Rohan was considering buying a health plan now that he was settling down and starting a family. He talked to his insurance advisor who advised him to go for a health plan with maternity and new born coverage. Rohan took the advice and three years later when Seema delivered a healthy baby boy, the couple was ecstatic. No worries about the hospital costs of childbirth, thanks to Rohan’s pre-planned move to buy a health plan!

Having a baby is the most joyous part of our lives. The experiences and emotions associated with it are unique and priceless. But what about the maternity costs incurred at the time of delivery? They have a price tag, don’t they? Considering the trend in medical inflation, the price tag is substantial. So, how does one deal with the financial implication of childbirth?

Relax! A health insurance plan comes to your rescue in this instance too. There are many health insurance plans available in the market today that provide maternity and new born related coverage. Such coverage eases your financial burden substantially. But before you settle on buying a health plan with maternity coverage, here is a complete guide to understand the relevant coverage and exclusions of such a feature.

What is maternity expense?

Expenses incurred when giving birth to a child are termed as maternity expenses. These expenses include the cost of delivery, pre and post hospitalization expenses, in-patient hospitalization expenses, ambulance costs, etc.

What is maternity cover?

Some health insurance plans have a feature which covers maternity expenses. This coverage feature is called maternity cover.

Who is covered under the maternity cover feature?

The mother is covered under the maternity cover feature.

What are the expenses covered under maternity cover?

Maternity cover includes coverage for a host of expenses which are as follows:

Hospitalization expense – expenses incurred on pre-hospitalization, in-patient hospitalization and post hospitalization of the expecting mother are covered.
Delivery expenses – expenses on both normal and cesarean deliveries are covered. However, there is a capping on the amount of coverage available for these deliveries. This capping varies across different health plans.
Pre and post-natal expenses – expenses incurred on pre and post-natal care of the mother is also covered under the plan.
Emergency ambulance costs – the cost incurred in taking the expecting mother to the hospital is covered.
New-born baby cover – this cover is not universally applicable in all maternity cover health plans. Under this cover, the new born bay is covered for a specified period.

What is not covered under maternity benefit?

The maternity cover has exclusions which are as follows:

Firstly, maternity cover is available after a waiting period. This waiting period ranges from 9 months to 4 years depending on different plans.
Termination of pregnancy within 12 weeks of conception is not covered.
The maximum age of the mother for availing maternity cover is 45 years.
Expenses incurred on regular doctor visits, medicines and tests during the period of pregnancy are not covered.
Expenses incurred on ectopic pregnancy are not covered.
Maternity benefit is allowed for a maximum of 2 children.

What is new-born baby cover?

Some health plans include new-born baby cover along with maternity cover. This feature covers the new born baby under the plan.

What are the conditions for availing the new-born benefit?

A new-born baby cover has some conditions which are as follows:

The cover is available in plans which also have a maternity coverage benefit.
Some plans might allow the new-born cover as an inbuilt feature. In other plans, this cover is optional. The policyholder can avail the cover by paying an additional premium.
The new-born baby is covered for a period of 90 days after which the policyholder is required to pay an additional premium to include the baby in the plan coverage.

What is covered under the new-born baby cover?

The new-born benefit provides coverage for the following:

Expenses incurred on treating any critical illness
Birth defects or congenital defects (coverage available in some plans)
Vaccination expenses incurred during the first year

Heavy expenditure is incurred on pregnancy and childbirth which might not be affordable. Health insurance plans extend help in covering such expenses under their maternity and new-born baby benefit. So, if you are planning a family, like Rohan was, look for a health plan with maternity benefits for an all-inclusive coverage.

Read more about Dejargonizing health insurance terms

Read more about Anatomy of health insurance plans

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