As individuals age, their risk of developing health problems increases, leading to higher healthcare expenses. Senior citizens are more prone to chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, which require regular medical care. Due to their limited income and retirement funds, seniors may struggle to pay medical bills, making health insurance a necessity.
Senior citizen insurance, also known as elderly health insurance or senior health insurance, is designed to provide medical coverage to people aged over 60 years. The insurance policy in question considers the different healthcare requirements of older adults and offers extensive medical coverage at reasonable prices.
Medical insurance plans for senior citizens offer coverage for hospitalisation expenses, medical tests, doctor consultations, ambulance services, and pre-existing illnesses. Additionally, some insurance providers may offer add-on benefits to increase the coverage scope. However, amid all these benefits, there is one common query around this policy — Is a Mediclaim policy for senior citizens without medical tests available?
Can You Get A Senior Citizen Health Insurance Without Medical Tests?
In reality, senior citizens must undergo medical tests before their policies get approved. These tests help the insurer to determine the policyholder’s health status and the risks involved in covering them. For example, a senior citizen with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or hypertension may be deemed to be at a higher risk of making a claim and may get charged a higher premium.
Any health insurer offering Mediclaim for senior citizens without medical tests can result in significantly lower coverage amounts and higher premiums. Insurers provide coverage without a medical exam for people up to the age of 45.
Things to Remember Before Buying Senior Citizen Health Insurance
• Cashless hospitals:
Network hospitals offer cashless medical treatment to policyholders, particularly senior citizens who frequently require medical attention. Managing treatment expenses can be challenging if the insurance provider does not have a network hospital in the policyholder's area.
• Waiting period:
Policyholders cannot claim for various illnesses or conditions during the waiting period, typically ranging from a few months to four years. It is crucial for senior citizens, who often have pre-existing medical conditions or may require frequent medical attention, to check the waiting period for such conditions.
• Daycare procedures:
These medical treatments or procedures do not involve an overnight stay at the hospital for the patient. Senior citizens may require such procedures frequently due to age-related health conditions. Therefore, checking if the health insurance policy covers daycare procedures and the extent of coverage is essential.
• Claim procedure:
To ease the claim process, senior citizens should choose insurance policies with simple reimbursement procedures, preferably online or over the phone, as they may face physical limitations in visiting the offices of their insurance providers. Also, completing extensive paperwork may be difficult for them. Additionally, it is essential to verify the insurer’s claim settlement ratio for reliability.
• Alternative treatment:
Most senior citizens often prefer alternative treatments like Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, and Homeopathy to treat various ailments. Hence, it is essential to consider health insurance policies that provide coverage for alternative treatments.