National Insurance Company Limited

National Insurance is a public sector insurance company which is owned by the Government of India. The company was founded in the city of Kolkata in the year 1906. After 66 years, when the general Insurance Business Nationalisation Act was passed in the year 1972, the company was merged with other foreign and Indian insurance companies and the National Insurance Company was formed. After nationalisation, the company was a subsidiary of the General Insurance Corporation but in the year 2002, it was delinked from GIC and is now operating as an independent general insurance company.

National Insurance serves customers in India as well as in Nepal. It has won various awards the latest one being the Economic Times Iconic Brands Award in 2018 in the general insurance category. National Insurance also offers a range of general insurance products to its customers and its health insurance plans are quite popular among individuals. 

Features and benefits of National Insurance Health Insurance Policies 

National Insurance is a preferred health insurance provider among individuals because of the following reasons –

1. The company offers a range of health insurance plans which are suitable for the varied insurance needs of individuals
2. The premiums of its policies are low and affordable 
3. Policies are also offered for travelling individuals who need health insurance coverage abroad
4. The company has a high claim settlement ratio and settles most of its claims quickly
5. The company provides 24*7 support and assistance to customers for their queries as well as grievances

Coverage offered by National health insurance plans

Health insurance plans offered by National Insurance provide a range of coverage benefits to policyholders. Some of the benefits which are covered under almost all health insurance plans offered by National Insurance include the following –

1. Hospitalisation expenses

   If you are hospitalised for a period of 24 hours or more, the costs incurred on such hospitalisation would be covered. These costs include rent of the hospital bed, ICU room rent, fees payable to surgeons, doctors, anaesthetists, nurses, etc., cost of blood or medicines, treatment costs, etc.

2. Pre-hospitalisation expenses

   Expenses which are incurred before you are actually hospitalised are called pre-hospitalisation expenses. Health plans cover pre-hospitalisation expenses for a specific period.

3. Post hospitalisation expenses

   After you are discharged from the hospital you might incur medical costs for monitoring of your condition and for recovery. These expenses are called post hospitalisation expenses and they are covered for a specified period.

4. Day care treatments

   There are some treatments which do not need you to be hospitalised for 24 hours or more due to the advancements in the field of medicine. These treatments are called day care treatments and health insurance plans cover these treatments up to the sum insured.

5. Domiciliary treatments

   If you have to take medical treatments at your own home due to non-availability of any hospital bed or if you cannot be moved to the hospital, such treatments are called domiciliary treatments, National health insurance plans cover these domiciliary treatments up to specified limits.

6. Organ donor treatments

   The costs incurred in harvesting organs from an organ donor so that you can undergo a transplant surgery are covered under health insurance plans under the head organ donor treatments.

7. Free health check-ups

   Free health check-ups are value-added benefits which are available under National health insurance plans. The plans allow free medical check-ups at specified intervals so that you can monitor and track your health.

8. Maternity coverage 

   Maternity coverage is the coverage given for covering the costs incurred in pregnancy and child birth. All National health insurance plans do not provide coverage for maternity related expenses. However, there are some plans under which you would be able to find coverage for maternity costs up to specified limits.

9. Alternative treatments

   Alternative treatments or AYUSH treatments are also covered under some National mediclaim policies. These treatments include treatments taken using non-allopathic means like Ayurveda, Homeopathy, etc.

Exclusions under National health insurance plans

Though the health plans offered by National Insurance have a comprehensive scope of coverage, there are some instances and treatments which are not covered under any health plan. These are called exclusions and common exclusions found under National health insurance plans include the following –

1. Suicide, self-inflicted injuries or attempted suicides are excluded 
2. Pre-existing illnesses are not covered during a specific waiting period
3. Illnesses within the first 30 to 60 days of buying the policy are not covered
4. Illnesses or injuries suffered due to alcohol usage, drug usage and under the influence of any other intoxicants are not covered
5. Cosmetic treatments are not covered
6. Dental treatments and expenses incurred on outpatient basis are not covered under all health plans
7. Maternity related expenses are not covered unless the plan specifically covers them
8. Illnesses or injuries due to nuclear perils, war, rebellion and other related perils are not covered
9. Treatments for infertility, obesity, mental disorders and congenital abnormalities are not covered under most health insurance plans

Add-on covers under National Health Insurance plans

Besides the inbuilt coverage benefits, many plans offered by National Insurance also have add-on coverage benefits. These benefits are optional and can be selected at additional premiums. Some of the common add-on coverage benefits include the following –

1. Critical illness cover

   This add-on covers specific critical illnesses. If you are diagnosed with any of the covered illness, the sum insured for the cover is paid in one lump sum.

2. Outpatient treatment cover

   Under this cover, medical expenses incurred on doctor’s consultations, medicines and diagnostics are covered which are taken on an outpatient basis.

Pre-entrance medical check-ups for buying National Insurance plans

Under the health plans offered by National Insurance, pre-entrance medical screening might be required if you are buying the plan at an older age and/or if the sum insured is high. The list of tests which are required for pre-entrance medical check-ups include the following –

1. Physical examination
2. Fasting and post prandial blood sugar
3. HbA1C in some specified health plans
4. Serum Creatinine 
5. Lipid profile
6. ECG
7. Urine routine and microscopic analysis
8. Retinoscopy and eye check-up
9. Echocardiogram 
10. Any other medical check-ups as deemed necessary by the insurance company 

The costs of these tests would have to be borne by you. However, the insurance company would reimburse 50% of the costs incurred if the policy is accepted and issued by the company.

List of health insurance plans offered by National Insurance 

National Insurance offers a range of health insurance plans which are explained below – 

1. National Mediclaim Plus Policy (Individual Plan)

As the name suggests, this is an individual health insurance plan which can be taken to cover a single life. The policy provides high levels of coverage and is quite comprehensive in nature. The features of the plan are as follows –

1. There are three plan variants and you can avail a coverage of up to INR 50 lakhs
2. Your family members can also be covered under the plan but on an individual sum insured basis
3. Coverage is allowed for maternity costs, new born baby as well as for the first year vaccinations of the new born baby
4. A hospital cash benefit is payable per day of hospitalisation
5. 5% no claim bonus is allowed each claim-free year which increases the sum insured. The maximum bonus allowed is up to 50%
6. Free health check-ups after every 2 years
7. Optional outpatient add-on critical illness add-on are available under the plan
8. Premium discounts are allowed for buying online or for purchasing the policy for more than one family member
9. Air ambulance coverage is also available under the plan in case of emergencies

Eligibility parameters of National Mediclaim Plus Policy (Individual Plan)

Entry age	Children – 3 months to 18 years Adults – 18 years to 65 years
Sum insured	INR 2 lakhs to INR 50 lakhs
Policy tenure	1 year

2. National Mediclaim Policy (Individual Plan)

This is another individual health insurance plan offered by National Insurance. The plan has the following salient coverage benefits –

1. Non-allopathic treatments are covered for up to 20% of the sum insured
2. 5% of the sum insured increases every year if you don’t make a claim. The premium, however, remains the same
3. Free health check-ups are allowed after a continuous coverage of four years
4. If you buy the policy for your family you can get a premium discount of 10%
5. Pre-entrance medical check-ups are required if the insured is aged 50 years and above

Eligibility parameters of National Mediclaim Policy (Individual Plan)

Entry age	18 years to 65 years
Sum insured	INR 50,000 to INR 5 lakhs
Policy tenure	1 year

3. National Super Top-up Mediclaim Plan

This is a super top-up health insurance plan which allows you to increase your existing health insurance coverage at very limited premiums. The plan has a deductible limit and a sum insured. You have to choose a combination of the deductible and the sum insured. If the aggregate amount of claims in a policy year exceeds the chosen deductible limit, the policy would pay the excess claim. This is the concept of super top-up health insurance plans. Other salient features of the policy include the following-

1. Sum insured up to INR 20 lakhs can be opted
2. Both allopathic and AYUSH treatments are covered under the plan
3. Illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and bariatric surgeries are also covered
4. Maternity and related costs are covered after a waiting period
5. Hospital cash benefit and doctor’s home visit or attendant’s charges are both covered under the plan
6. 5% no claim bonus is allowed for every claim-free year
7. You can port this plan to another plan without any deductible limit
8. Attractive premium discounts are allowed under the policy. These discounts are as follows –
1. If you buy the policy before the age of 42 years and continue the policy for three years, you can earn a 5% premium discount
2. If another family member is covered under the plan on an individual basis, 5% premium discount is allowed
3. Buying the policy online gives you another 10% discount
9. Pre-entrance medical check-ups are required if you are 50 years and above

Eligibility parameters of National Super Top-up Mediclaim Plan

Entry age	Children – 3 months to 18 years Adults – 18 years to 65 years
Sum insured	INR 3 lakhs to INR 20 lakhs
Deductible limit	INR 2 lakhs to INR 10 lakhs
Policy tenure	1 year

4. National Insurance Vidyarthi Mediclaim Policy for Students

This is a unique mediclaim policy which covers students against medical contingencies and personal accident. The salient features of the plan are as follows –

1. The policy covers hospitalisation expenses of the student, personal accident contingencies for the student as well as personal accident contingencies suffered by the guardian
2. A group discount is available which goes up to 30% if more than 100 students are covered on a group basis
3. One student and one parent should be covered under the plan
4. Cumulative bonus of 5% increase in sum insured is allowed for not making a claim in a policy year
5. An additional cover for transportation costs incurred in transporting the body to the residence is available under personal accident coverage section

Eligibility parameters of National Insurance Vidyarthi Mediclaim Policy for Students

Entry age	3 years to 25 years
Sum insured	Hospitalisation cover – INR 50,000 to INR 2 lakhs Personal accident cover for the student – INR 50,000 Personal accident cover for guardians – twice the sum insured of hospitalisation cover
Policy tenure	1 year

5. National Parivar Mediclaim for Family

This is a family floater health insurance plan which extends coverage to your family. The salient features of the plan are as follows –

1. More than 140 day care treatments are covered under the plan
2. Organ donor expenses are covered
3. Diabetes and hypertension can be covered from the first day of the policy if you pay an additional premium
4. Pre-entrance medical check-ups are required if any covered member is aged 40 years and above or if the sum insured is INR 6 lakhs and above

Eligibility parameters of National Parivar Mediclaim for Family

Entry age	Children – up to 25 years Adults – 18 years to 65 years
Sum insured	INR 2 lakhs to INR 5 lakhs
Policy tenure	1 year

6. National Parivar Mediclaim Policy 

This is also a family floater health insurance plan which covers the entire family. The features of the plan are as follows –

1. AYUSH treatments are covered without any sub-limits
2. Pre-existing diabetes and hypertension can be covered without any waiting period at an additional premium
3. Maternity costs are covered under the plan
4. You also get coverage for infertility treatments
5. Vaccination costs incurred on animal bites and also for new born children are covered under the plan
6. You can opt for add-on coverage benefits for critical illness and outpatient treatments
7. A premium discount of 5% is allowed if no claim is made in the previous year
8. You get premium discounts for buying online, for buying a long term coverage, for availing maternity and infertility treatments after age 45 years
9. Hospital cash benefit is covered under the plan wherein you get a daily cash benefit if hospitalisation exceeds 3 days
10. Pre-policy medical check-ups would be required if you are aged 50 years and above. Moreover, if you choose critical illness cover, you would have to undergo a pre-policy health check-up

Eligibility parameters of National Parivar Mediclaim Policy:

Entry age	Children – 3 months to 25 years Adults – 18 years to 65 years
Sum insured	INR 1 lakh to INR 10 lakhs
Policy tenure	1, 2 or 3 years

7. National Parivar Mediclaim Plus Policy

This is the family floater variant of the Mediclaim Plus policy which allows a comprehensive scope of coverage and high sum insured levels. The salient features of the policy are as follows –

1. Sum insured of up to INR 50 lakhs can be taken in three coverage slabs
2. No sub-limits are applicable on AYUSH treatments
3. Air ambulance cover is also included under the plan
4. Coverage for maternity is allowed and new born baby is covered right from birth
5. Unique coverage features include coverage for infertility treatments, anti-rabies vaccinations, medical emergency reunion and vaccination expenses of the new born baby
6. Hospital cash benefit is paid on a daily basis if you are hospitalised for three days or more
7. The add-on covers of critical illness and outpatient treatments are available at additional premiums
8. The sum insured is reinstated if an accidental claim exhausts the existing limit
9. Doctor’s home visit and coverage for nursing at home are allowed
10. The premium is discounted by 5% for not making claims in the last policy year
11. There are various types of premium discounts which you can avail under the plan
12. Free health check-ups are allowed once after every two policy years
13. Pre-entrance medical check-ups are required if you are aged 40 years and above, if the sum insured is INR 15 lakhs and above and if the critical illness add-on cover is opted

Eligibility parameters of National Parivar Mediclaim Plus Policy

Entry age	Children – 3 months to 18 years Adults – 18 years to 65 years
Sum insured	INR 6 lakhs to INR 50 lakhs
Policy tenure	1, 2 or 3 years

8. National Critical Illness Policy

This is a fixed benefit health insurance plan which covers specified critical illnesses. The features of the plan are as follows –

1. There are two coverage options under the plan
2. Coverage option A covers 11 critical illnesses and coverage option B covers 37 critical illnesses
3. Pre-existing illnesses can be covered from inception at an additional premium
4. Pre-entrance medical check-ups are required if you are 45 years and above, if you have chosen a sum insured of INR 25 lakhs and above or if a non-earning spouse is covered for INR 5 lakhs and above

Eligibility parameters of National Critical Illness Policy

Entry age	Children – 3 months to 18 years Adults – 18 years to 65 years
Sum insured	INR 1 lakh to INR 75 lakhs
Policy tenure	1 year

9. National Varistha Mediclaim Policy

This health insurance plan is designed for senior citizens who are aged 60 years and above. The highlights of the plan are as follows –

1. Coverage for inpatient and domiciliary hospitalisation is allowed for INR 1 lakh
2. Cataract and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia are covered up to specified limits
3. You have two options of availing no claim bonus. You can either choose an increase in the sum insured by 5% or a premium discount of 5%
4. Free health check-ups after three policy years
5. There are two optional benefits too for enhanced coverage. One is the critical illness cover which covers eight major illnesses and the other is the sum insured of INR 2 lakh
6. No medical check-ups would be required if you had an existing health plan in the last three years before buying the policy

Eligibility parameters of National Varistha Mediclaim Policy:

Entry age	60 years to 80 years
Sum insured	INR 1 lakh
Policy tenure	1 year

Travel oriented health plans of National Insurance:

Travel oriented health plans offered by National Insurance are those which provide international health insurance coverage along with travel insurance benefits. National Insurance offers the following two types of overseas health insurance plans –

1. National Insurance Overseas Mediclaim Business and Holiday

This is an international travel insurance plan which allows health insurance coverage while you are travelling abroad. The features of the plan are as follows –

• The policy covers trips taken for business and holiday, employment and study as well as for businesses which frequently send their employees on business trips
• There are two plan options A and B and each option is further divided into two sub-variants. The coverage and sum insured depends on the plan variant selected
• Medical illness, repatriation and evacuation are covered up to the sum insured
• You also get coverage for third party liability, loss of baggage and/or passport and personal accident and disablement while you are travelling abroad 

Eligibility parameters of National Insurance Overseas Mediclaim Business and Holiday

Sum insured	USD 50,000 to USD 5 lakhs
Policy tenure	Equivalent to the trip duration

2. National Insurance Overseas Mediclaim Employment and Studies

This is a specific travel insurance plan which is designed for those who are travelling overseas for employment related purposes or for higher education. The salient features of the plan are as follows-

1. Coverage is allowed for illnesses suffered, medical evacuation, repatriation and medical emergency reunion
2. Sponsored students can also avail coverage for any contingency suffered by the sponsors
3. There are different policies with different sum insured levels

Eligibility parameters of National Insurance Overseas Mediclaim Employment and Studies

Sum insured	USD 1.5 lakhs and USD 5 lakhs
Policy tenure	Equivalent to the trip duration

How to buy National health insurance plans?

National Insurance has strengthened its online presence to enable you to buy a suitable health insurance policy directly from the company’s websites. Alternatively, you can choose to buy National health insurance policies online through Turtlemint. Turtlemint is an online platform which eases the process of buying health insurance plans. To buy National mediclaim policy, all you have to do is visit Turtlemint and follow the below-mentioned steps –

1. Choose to ‘Buy a new policy’, ‘top-up an existing policy’ or ‘Change insurer’
2. In the next page fill in your details which include the following –
1. Gender
2. Members which are to be insured under the plan
3. Age of the selected members
4. Whether you are planning to have a baby (to ensure that you get maternity coverage)
5. Do any members suffer from pre-existing illnesses?
6. PIN code of your area
7. Income level for the ideal sum insured
8. Your details to save your quote
3. Once the details are entered you would be able to check the available health insurance plans suiting your coverage needs
4. You can compare and choose the best policy which provides all the necessary coverage benefits at the lowest premium rates
5. You can also choose the coverage benefits that you would like and the sum insured of the plan
6. Once you select the plan, buy it online by paying the premium online
7. The policy would be issued at the earliest

Things to remember before buying National Insurance mediclaim policy

Before you shortlist and buy the best National Insurance health policy, there are some things which you should keep in mind. These things include the following –

1. Choose a policy which has the coverage benefits that you need. Taking too many unnecessary coverage features would increase the premiums while limited coverage benefits would incur out-of-pocket expenses. The coverage features should, therefore, match your requirements
2. All the family members should be covered under the plan who are dependent on you
3. Ensure that the sum insured is sufficient enough to cover all family members
4. The premiums should be affordable for you to continue renewing the policy year on year
5. National Insurance offers a range of premium discounts on its health insurance plans. Make sure you claim all the discounts for which you are eligible so that the premiums are low
6. Know the exclusions of the policy

How to renew National health insurance plans

To renew National Insurance health insurance plans, you can choose the online mode and do the renewals. National Insurance allows online renewals through its own website. The process is as follows –

1. Go to the company’s website https://nationalinsurance.nic.co.in/en/ and choose ‘Quick Renew’ on the home page
2. You would be taken to an external website wherein you would have to enter your policy number and a displayed Captcha Code
3. Once the details are entered, you can see the details of your existing policy
4. You can change the sum insured or do any other changes and the renewal premium would be recalculated
5. Pay the renewal premium online and your policy would be renewed

Another way to renew your National health insurance policy is through Turtlemint’s website. If you have bought the policy from Turtlemint just log into your online account for renewals. You can check the existing policy status, make any changes if required and pay the renewal premium online. Once the premium is paid, the policy would be instantly renewed.

Making a claim under National health insurance policies:

If you face a medical emergency and incur medical costs which are covered under your National health insurance policy, you can make a claim to get the costs settled by the insurance company. The process of making a claim under the policy is as follows –

1. Find out the empanelled hospitals in your area. Empanelled hospitals would be the one which would allow you cashless claim settlement
2. If your hospitalisation is planned, inform the TPA (Third Party Administrator) of the company at least 72 hours prior to hospitalisation. You should mention the reason for hospitalisation and the hospital which you have selected
3. In case your hospitalisation is an emergency, inform the TPA within 24 hours of such hospitalisation
4. When you are admitted, a pre-authorisation form would be sent by the hospital to the TPA. The form would contain all the medical details and the expected cost of treatment. The insurance company would assess the form and approve the claim
5. The costs would then be directly settled by National Insurance
6. You would have to submit the medical documents and bills to the insurance company within 15 days after the post-hospitalisation coverage is over
7. If you are admitted to a non-empanelled hospital, your claim would be settled on a reimbursement basis. You should inform the TPA of the company within 72 hours of planned or emergency hospitalisation
8. Collect the Discharge Summary from the hospital after you are discharged and submit the summary along with all the relevant medical reports and bills to the TPA
9. The documents should be submitted within 15 days of discharge from the hospital for the claim to be processed easily

Documents required for making a claim:

For the claim to be valid, the following documents would have to be submitted to the TPA –

1. Part A and Part B of the Claim Form should be filled and the form should be signed by the policyholder 
2. The discharge summary availed from the hospital would be required
3. All doctor’s certificates and prescriptions would be required
4. Investigative reports and diagnostic tests undertaken
5. Final bills and receipts of the hospital
6. All bills and receipts of the pharmacy
7. Any other document depending on the requirement of the insurance company 

You can also get the settlement of your health insurance claims easily through Turtlemint. Turtlemint has a dedicated claims handling department which handles customers’ claims and help them in getting a quick settlement. You just have to inform Turtlemint of your claim and Turtlemint would take all the necessary steps to get your claims settled. To inform you can either call Turtlemint’s toll-free helpline number or send an intimation mail. The number is 1800 266 0101 and the email id is claims@turtlemint.com.