A health insurance policy has become a necessity in today’s age when medical costs have become unaffordable. That is why insurance companies offer a range of health insurance policies which provide comprehensive coverage benefits for your health insurance needs. There are more than a hundred health insurance plans available in the market but you should choose the best health insurance plan for your coverage needs. Choosing the best health insurance policy would ensure that you do not miss out on the comprehensive coverage benefits which are offered by health insurance plans. Moreover, the best medical insurance plan would also have the best premium for the coverage that is offered. Besides the coverage and the premium, if you choose the best medical insurance policy, you would be able to avail easy cashless treatments at a wide network of hospitals and get your claims processed smoothly. Thus, for an all-round coverage, pocket-friendly premiums and smooth claim process, you should choose the best health insurance coverage.
How to choose the best health insurance plan?
In order to choose the best health insurance plan, you should compare the available plans on some important parameters. These parameters are as follows –
This is an important parameter of judging a health insurance plan. The more comprehensive the scope of coverage offered, the better would be the plan. When the coverage is comprehensive the plan would cover maximum medical expenses and reduce your out-of-pocket costs. So, an all-inclusive plan is always recommended. That being said, you should ensure that the coverage benefits are suitable for your needs so that you pay for exactly what you need. Do not opt for unnecessary coverage benefits which would drive up the premium. For example, if you already have kids and have planned your family, opting for a plan with maternity coverage would be unnecessary. You should, alternatively, look for other coverage benefits for comprehensive coverage.
Look for the minimum and maximum sum insured offered by the policies. Health plans which allow higher coverage levels would be better since they would allow you to opt for an optimal sum insured for covering expected medical costs.
The premium of the policy should be affordable and competitive compared to other similar health insurance plans. However, when comparing the premiums, also compare the coverage offered along with the premium charged to judge the premium rate.
The best health insurance plan would be the one which has a wide network of hospitals for providing cashless treatments. This would help you easily locate a networked hospital in your area and avail convenient cashless claims.
If you or any family member suffers from any pre-existing illness, you should opt for a plan which has low pre-existing waiting period so that such illnesses get covered at the earliest.
Opt for health plans which have no room rent capping so that you can get treated in a single private AC room without worrying about the costs. Moreover, the best health insurance policy should also have minimal coverage restrictions and sub-limits on coverage benefits for a more holistic scope of coverage.
Many health insurance plans allow optional riders which you can add to the coverage at an additional premium. These riders help in enhancing your coverage and are recommended. So, look for plans which have optional riders so that you can customize your policy as per your needs.
The best health insurance plans would allow you attractive premium discounts which would help you bring down your premium costs. So, hunt for the best discounts available so that your premiums get affordable.
Modern-day health insurance plans also offer different types of value-added benefits in their coverage like free medical consultations, second opinion, wellness rewards, health check-ups, etc. The best health insurance coverage would be the one which has a range of value-added services which enhance your coverage and give you something extra.
List of 10 best health insurance plans
Considering all the above-mentioned factors, here is a list of 10 of the best health insurance plans available in the market that offer the best-in-class coverage benefits at the most reasonable premium rates. So, here’s a look –
Name of the plan |
Entry age |
Sum insured |
Pre-existing waiting period |
Value-added services |
The premium for a 35-year old male for a sum insured of INR 5 lakhs |
ICICI Lombard Complete Health Insurance Plan |
6 years onwards. Dependent children aged 3 months to 5 years can be covered under the floater policy |
INR 3 lakhs to INR 50 lakhs |
2 years |
Free health check-ups, online consultations, dietitian and nutrition consultations, vaccination care, physiotherapy consultations, etc. |
INR 7494 |
Star Comprehensive Insurance Policy |
3 months to 65 years |
INR 5 lakhs to INR 1 crores |
3 years |
Second medical opinion, wellness programs, coverage for modern treatments, etc. |
INR 7015 |
Care Health Care Insurance Plan |
91 days onwards |
INR 4 lakhs to INR 6 crores |
4 years |
The medical second opinion, free health check-ups, etc. |
INR 6620 |
Aditya Birla Activ Health Platinum – Enhanced |
91 days onwards |
INR 2 lakhs to INR 2 crores |
3 years |
Health Returns which help in paying off premiums, second e-opinion, international emergency assistance, wellness coach, etc. |
INR 8137 |
Manipal Cigna ProHealth Protect |
91 days onwards |
INR 2.5 lakhs to INR 50 lakhs |
4 years |
Free health check-ups, expert opinion on critical illness, healthy rewards, etc. |
|
HDFC ERGO Health Optima Restore |
91 days to 65 years |
INR 3 lakhs to INR 50 lakhs |
3 years |
e-opinion in critical illness, Stay Active benefit, health check-ups, etc. |
INR 7093 |
Universal Sompo Complete Healthcare Insurance |
1 day to 70 years |
INR 1 lakh to INR 10 lakhs |
3 years |
Wellness benefits, dial-a-doctor, health education library, second opinion, specialist consultations with follow-ups, etc. |
INR 5528 |
Royal Sundaram Lifeline |
91 days onwards |
INR 2 lakhs to INR 1.5 crores |
2 years to 4 years depending on the plan variant selected |
Free health check-up, second medical opinion for critical illness, preventative healthcare and disease management wellness programs |
|
Reliance Health Gain |
91 days to 65 years |
INR 3 lakhs to INR 18 lakhs |
3 years |
Wellness benefits, a guarantee of policy servicing, a guarantee of claim servicing, etc. |
INR 6933 (Sum insured INR 6 lakhs) |
Future Generali Future Health Suraksha |
90 days to 70 years |
INR 50,000 to INR 10 lakhs |
4 years |
Free medical check-ups, no claim bonus, premium discounts, instalment premiums, etc. |
INR 6282 |
Details of the best health insurance plans
Here’s a brief look into the above-mentioned best health insurance plans –
This is a comprehensive health insurance plan which comes in four different variants and has the following salient features –
This is one of the leading health insurance policies with extensive coverage benefits, both inbuilt and optional. The features of the policy are as follows –
This plan offers sum insured up to INR 6 crores, the highest in the industry, along with the following salient features –
This is the premium version of the Activ Health plan series which offers high sum insured levels. The salient features of the plan are as follows –
ProHealth Protect offers you affordable coverage with high sum insured levels and comprehensive coverage benefits. The features of the plan include the following –
This health plan can be taken on an individual basis or on a family floater basis. It has the following salient features –
You can buy this plan in three different variants for yourself as well as for your family members. The main features of the plan include the following –
This policy provides you with a gamut of inbuilt coverage benefits, value-added features and optional coverage benefits. The main features of the plan are as follows –
Reliance’s Health Gain plan provides a good scope of coverage with attractive premium discounts for affordability. The main features of the policy include the following –
The plan allows a range of coverage benefits and features some of which include the following –
Take your pick from any of these plans for availing the best health insurance coverage.
How to buy the best health insurance plans from Turtlemint?
Turtlemint’s online platform allows you to compare and choose the best health insurance policy for yourself. Turtlemint is tied-up with all of the leading health insurance companies and offers their plans on its portal. You can simply visit Turtlemint, enter in your coverage details and find the top cheapest health insurance plans available. You can also compare the benefits and premiums of the plans and then choose one policy which offers the best coverage at the cheapest premiums. To buy the cheapest health insurance through Turtlemint, here are some simple steps which you need to follow –
Turtlemint, therefore, provides you with a hassle-free approach to compare and buy the cheapest health insurance plan so that you are adequately covered without any financial strain of the premium.