For critical medical care – go for Edelweiss Tokio Life CritiCare+

Few days ago, my friend’s dad had been detected with cancer. The cost of the chemo treatment went as high as 18 lakhs and yet there are grim chances of hope. He had to cancel his Masters admission to University of Auckland, New Zealand as he couldn’t afford the burden of ever increasing hospital bills and his father did not have the right mediclaim insurance policy.

A critical illness insurance plan provides the sum assured on diagnosis itself, thus one doesn’t have to submit hospitalisation bills. Also, one can use the amount the way he/she wants like for daily expenses, advanced treatment, paying EMIs, etc. 2012 GLOBOCAN report suggests India has 10 lakh cases of cancer and nearly 7 lakh cancer deaths. One of the major reason is patients having to discontinue their treatment as they cannot afford it. Cancer treatment in private hospital costs around Rs. 3 lakh for surgery, Rs 2 lakh for IMRT and an additional cost of Rs 1 lakh if chemotherapy is suggested. Indian version of drugs like Herceptin costs Rs 57, 500 per vial, while Rituximab costs Rs.50, 000 per cycle. Looking at the expenses, normal mediclaim policy will exhaust with just a few doses.

We have to admit that air pollution and diabetes increase the chances of critical illness among us. In such situations, it is better to be insured than sorry. This time, we review insurance policies which cover severe to very severe diseases. We have compared Aegon Religare iCancer, HDFC cancer care and Edelweiss Tokio Life – CritiCare+

Edelweiss Tokio Life – CritiCare + stands out as the best policy to buy as it not only covers cancer but 16 other severe diseases too.

The patient can also get lump sum benefit on the diagnosis of critical illness. Since critical illnesses are generally long term, Edelweiss Tokio Life CritiCare+ comes with the multi-claim option where one can claim thrice in a single policy term. Under multi-claim option; patients get waivers on future premiums on the occurrence of their first claim. As per Section 80D of Income Tax Act, an Indian citizen is liable for tax benefit on the premium and claim amount. You can buy Edelweiss Tokio Life CritiCare+ policy here.

With the increase the number of cases of heart attacks and cancer, investing in critical illness insurance is a smart choice. A critical illness may reduce your and your family members’ ability to continue working and also put added pressure on the account of medical expenses involved. It is extremely important to plan well so that your family can work towards your #BounceBack without worrying of finances.

By – Chaitanya Kulkarni ( #BloggerForever )

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