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Medical Insurance: Best Alternative to Escalating Cost of Health Care in India
from: InsuranceDealTime.comIndia is one of the developing countries in the world. It has the second fastest growing economy in the world, showing gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 9.1 percent at the first quarter of 2006. It is ranked fourth in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (establishes the rate of purchasing power of their local currency against foreign currencies).
Despite of this large figures, India's wealth distribution is rated "fairly uneven", with the upper 10 percent of the income groups earning 33 percent of all the income of the country. In other words, only a small percentage of the population of India can fully avail their basic needs, especially in terms of medical care.
With the escalating cost of medical care as part of their developing stage, the citizens of India have nowhere to run and ask for financial help. The cost of medical care in the country is beyond the reach of a common Hindu. He needs to work out hard just to finance the hospital room rent, medicines, physician's fee, and other health-related expenses in case of emergency. That is why medical insurance is becoming popular in India. It will assure common Hindus that they are provided with the financial relief they need in times of medical emergencies.
Aside from the rising cost of medical care in the country, one reason why medical insurance is increasing its popularity among Hindus is that the public delivery of basic medical services in the country is poor in quality. Because of low budget appropriations in terms of health care, hospitals lack the necessary medicines and facilities to cover the medical needs of common Hindus. Thus, it highlights for the need of an alternative medical financing, which is offered by medical insurance.
Medical insurance can be availed by Hindus aged 5 to 75 years old. The insurance policy can either be an individual plan (which is commonly availed by the upper income groups in the country) or a group plan which is sponsored by different employers. However, some of the policies do not cover some ailments at all times, especially on the first year of the coverage. In most cases, the medical insurance policy offered in India usually finances hospital expenses for accidents, some illnesses, injuries, and child birth.
Presently, there are four major medical insurance providers in India. They offer various medical care plans, although some of them are just similar in nature. The only difference is the provider of the policy.
Before selecting the medical insurance in India, be sure that you determine first your health needs. This will eliminate your chances of paying more on your medical insurance premiums since you will only pay for the medical services that you need. If you need a policy that has a wider medical coverage and at the same time comes with income tax benefits, you may consider the mediclaim policy with family coverage.
If you are looking for some low-cost medical insurance that provides some form of tax benefits, you may consider the Jan Arogya Bima policy. This medical insurance policy covers the hospital expenses regarding illness and injury. The limit of liability per individual for a year is set at 5,000 rupees.
Although the delivery of medical care services in India is poor, medical insurance provides an alternative for Hindus who needs the most comprehensive medical care coverage provided by private medical institutions without worrying about their finances.
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