Insurance

Before proceeding with the factors that we should consider before buying a term life insurance plan, it is better to know what a term life insurance policy means. It is a policy purchased for a fixed time period that provides a substantial amount of cover at lower rates of premium.

Now, when we have got a basic idea of term insurance plans, we can proceed toward the factors that we should know before we get one.

5 Things to Consider When Buying Term Insurance

Here are 5 things to consider when buying term insurance:

Determine the cover amount

The first factor that is generally considered is the amount of coverage that you need. For determining the cover amount, it is recommended to assess the following:

Age
Financial Responsibilities
Family’s future financial needs
Basic day-to-day expenses
Outstanding loans
Accounting for inflation

It is also advisable to keep in mind that the cover amount varies with your age. For example, if your age is between 25-35 years, the cover amount can ideally be 20 times your annual income approximately, and if you’re between 36- 45 years of age, the amount can be around 15 times the annual income. Ultimately, the younger a person is, the higher the cover amount.

Determine the time period of policy

Next, you can determine the policy period based on the following:

Retirement Plan: In general, people have a retirement plan at a specific age that usually ranges from 60-65 years of age. So, it is better to buy term insurance till the planned retirement age so that you and your family are financially secured throughout your retirement age in case of an untimely death of the sole earner.
Financial Responsibilities: You can assess your current and future financial liabilities and the time until which these can be repaid. This would eventually help you in deciding the time period of the online term plan to opt for.
Select the riders

When you buy term insurance, you can opt for the rider benefits. Riders are the additional benefits of extending the coverage of your base policy. Riders are usually offered at an extra cost, but it would help you get comprehensive coverage on your policy. You can also extend the rider coverage for your family member under a single plan. Additional coverage may include hospitalisation risk, critical illness, major ailments, accidental death, terminal illnesses, accidental disability, etc. Besides, you can also get coverage for major or minor illnesses and injuries with a multiple claim payout option.

Payout Option

Finding a suitable payout option also plays an important role because the amount of premium depends upon it. There are options of choosing either a monthly income payout or lump sum payout depending upon the availability in your plan. For instance, the Tata AIA term plan is one such term plan wherein there is a flexible option to receive benefit payout either as a lump sum or a regular monthly income for ten years or a combination of both options.

Choose the Insurer

The next important factor is related to choosing the insurance provider that meets all or most of your requirements. The following checks are ideally done to choose the insurer that suits your need:

Solvency Ratio: The solvency ratio is the ability of the insurance company to meet its long-term obligations. If an insurance provider has a high solvency ratio, it has excellent financial strength.
Claim Settlement Ratio: This ratio means the percentage of claims paid or settled by the insurance company. A high claim settlement ratio is a positive sign to choosing the insurance provider.
Reputation: The grievance settlement ratio on the basis of the number of complaints would help you in knowing the reputation of the insurance company in the market.
Financial History: The financial history helps you find whether, in a crisis situation, the insurer will be able to meet both its short-term and long-term liabilities or not.

Parting Thoughts

Choosing term policy online on the basis of the points mentioned above would be quite helpful. Besides, assessing your needs, having knowledge about the policy, going through the medical tests before issuance of the policy, etc., are other important factors that can also be considered.

Health plans have become like a necessity in the present times for a common man due to the high medical expenses. Lifestyle changes and environmental factors contribute to the increase in illnesses leading to hospitalisation and thus, high bills in hospitals. There are many players in the market offering health insurance plans and thus, choosing the best can be a task.

With umpteen options available one must compare all the options available and then choose the ones which gives the best coverage and meets all the requirements. The internet has made it easier today to compare plans from various insurance companies as this is less cumbersome and is time saving as well.

Right Ways to Surf the Internet for Health Insurance

Internet is a boon to mankind and when it comes to buying insurance, it certainly has changed the way buying insurance works.. The right way to surf the internet and buy health insurance is to take help from one of the insurance aggregator websites. These websites help the buyer in comparing the best insurance policies available on the basis of set parameters.

The websites take in some basic details like age, sex, lifestyle habits etc. and choose the best options available and provide a comparison. A side by side comparative chart makes it easy for the buyer to see what suits him the best, making it easier to buy health insurance. Health plans should be compared on the following grounds:

Coverage: The policy should provide extensive coverage which ensures that most of the expenses incurred when in hospital are covered. Depending on the need of the individual or the family, the exclusions must be checked. Some of the popular exclusions in medical insurance are dental services, cosmetic surgeries, maternity, If any of these is a requirement, then the policy must be chosen carefully.
Network Hospitals: The basic idea behind health insurance is that there should be cashless hospitalisation which means the bill of the hospital paid under insurance is directly settled by the insurance company and the insured does not need to spend any money from his pocket. This makes it important to check the network hospitals on the list as the preferred one must be there on the list and having an extensive list is always better as it gives more choices.
Room rent: There are plans which put a cap on the room rent and this sometimes gets difficult especially if the insured is being treated in a high end private hospital.
Add on benefits: Many insurance companies give add on benefits like free medical check-up once a year etc. One must carefully see these as these become useful.

Comparing the policy is essential to be able to choose the best one and using the internet is the best way to find the best one.

Make Your Life Easier with Health Insurance

When we plan for our life we plan for things like education of kids, their marriage, buying property etc. We often do not plan for a medical emergency and if one was to strike, it can put all other plans at risk due to the financial implications involved. Emergencies do not come announced and they can create havoc on both short and long term financial planning.

The cost of medical treatments in the country is increasing exponentially every year. There are several reasons behind this but the result is the patient suffers as many treatments have become unaffordable. Buying health insurance saves all this stress as the policy pays for all treatments and with the cashless facility available, there is also no need to have spare cash. Medical problems create a stress mentally bit the good part is that the financial stress is taken by the insurance company. With add on coverage and benefits, medical insurance also takes care of the health and helps to monitor and avoid a big problem. Life becomes simpler with a proper medical coverage for the family.

Buying health insurance is essential and something which should not be avoided. Life becomes less complicated and easier with a medical insurance policy. There are several aspects about a policy which should be considered before it is bought, and thus, comparing the available options is a good idea as this makes it simpler to but the best option available. A good health insurance policy is a boon in the present times and its importance should not be undermined.