Fear of Pre-policy Medical Check-up? You Can Still Buy Health Insurance

Health Insurance Plans with No Medical Check-ups

Several insurance companies in India offer health insurance plans that do not require applicants to undergo a medical check-up before buying the policy. Under some plans, applicants are issued a health policy without a medical test irrespective of their age. All they need to do is to fill out the proposal form and pay the premium to get the policy issued.

Pre-screening health check-ups are required only after a specified age limit, usually after the age of 45 years. Most insurers issue a health policy without a medical check-up to applicants up to the age of 45 years, post which a pre-screening health check-up may be required. However, some companies have raised the age criteria for issuing a health plan without medical check-ups to up to 60 years. However, if the applicant has a pre-existing disease, then he/she will have to undergo a pre-policy medical check-up even if they are below 45 years of age.

Why Medical Check-ups are Required before Buying Health Insurance?

Health insurance companies offer to meet the hospital bills of the insured as a result of unforeseen medical emergencies in exchange for a premium amount. However, the medical vulnerability of a person is largely dependent on age. The higher is the age of a person, the higher is the chances of developing a disease/medical condition. As a result, insurers take precautions while offering coverage to individuals beyond a certain age limit and ask them to undergo a pre-policy health check-up.

Usually, ages 18 years to 45 years are considered less risky for the onset of diseases and so, almost all plans offer health coverage without the requirement of a medical check-up. But if you are aged above 45 years, the pre-policy medical check-up clause may kick in.

Moreover, health insurance companies also ask people to undergo a medical test while buying a plan with a high sum insured amount. This is because a higher sum insured reflects a higher liability for the insurer and hence, they may evaluate the medical fitness of the applicant before issuing the policy.

List of Health Insurance Plans with No Pre-policy Medical Check-ups

Take a look at the various health insurance plans with no pre-policy medical check-ups:

*Disclaimer: The list mentioned is according to the alphabetical order of the insurance companies. Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by any insurer. This list of plans listed here comprise of insurance products offered by all the insurance partners of Policybazaar. For complete list of insurers in India refer to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India website www.irdai.gov.in.

Things to Keep in Mind While Buying Health Insurance with No Medical Check-up

If you are buying a health insurance plan that does not require you to get a medical check-up done, then you must disclose your present and past medical conditions truthfully. You must inform your insurer if you have a pre-existing disease or you suffered from a medical condition in the past. Moreover, if you underwent surgery in the last four years before buying the policy, then you must disclose it to your insurer.
In case you hide your pre-existing disease or medical history from your insurance provider, then the insurer has the right to deny your claim in the future. Not only your policy may get cancelled but you will also lose all the money you paid for the premiums.

Why Should You Get a Pre-policy Medical Test Done?

Take a look at some of the reasons why getting a medical check-up before buying health insurance is beneficial:

• No Rejection of Claims – Getting a pre-policy health check-up done before buying a policy prevents future claim rejections due to non-disclosure of pre-existing diseases. This is because your insurer becomes aware of your medical history at the time of policy purchase and thus, hiding pre-existing diseases is not possible.
• Faster Claim Approvals – If you get a medical check-up done before buying medical insurance, your insurer gets to know the current status of your health. So when you raise a claim later, your insurer approves it faster as they are already aware of your medical history.
• Lower Premiums – Pre-policy medical check-up allows insurers to assess the health of an applicant. In case assessment finds out that you are in good health, then your insurer may charge you a lower premium as you are a low-risk applicant for the insurer than a person with pre-existing diseases.
• Coverage Excluding PED – A pre-acceptance medical check-up informs the insurer about your insurers. In case the insurer is not ready to offer coverage for your pre-existing disease, they might offer you coverage excluding your pre-existing disease. This enables you to avail medical coverage with limitations.

In a Nutshell

Today, buying health insurance is as easy as it can get. If medical check-ups are a hassle for you, don’t worry, you can opt for plans that come without the baggage of a medical check-up. So, ditch your worries and buy a health plan now!