Preventive healthcare is a highly crucial component of family financial planning. It helps you understand your and your family members’ current health status and guides you in taking the necessary medication. Due to the increasing awareness about lifestyle-related conditions in India, medical insurance with preventive checkup options is in high demand across the nation.
This blog finds out the scope of preventive health checkups in the best health insurance policy for family and the factors that determine their eligibility.
An Overview of Preventive Health Checkups
The preventive health checkups are routine medical examinations to find out your current health status and detect signs of potential illness. In India, such checkups commonly include diagnostic tests that assess metabolic, cardiac and organ health.
Some of the tests done for preventive checkups are as follows:
- Blood sugar testing
- Lipid profile
- Liver function tests (LFT)
- Kidney function tests (KFT)
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Urine routine examination
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Are Preventive Health Checkups Free Every Year?
Many comprehensive family health insurance policies include preventive health checkups as part of the base package. But there can be some of the following conditions that influence the availability of preventive health checkups:
- Policy Tenure: Some plans activate the benefit only after completing the first policy year.
- Claim Condition: In certain policies, eligibility may be linked to a claim-free year.
- Age Criteria: Specific age brackets may apply for particular diagnostic tests.
- Network Diagnostic Centres: Tests may need to be conducted at empanelled centres authorised by the insurer.
- Coverage Scope: The number and type of tests covered may depend on the chosen sum insured. Also, check the approved tests for your policy so it meets the health requirements for all your family members.
Common Preventive Health Tests Covered Under Family Policies
The scope of preventive health checkups includes diagnostic tests that assess vital organs of the body. Here are a few categories for which preventive healthcare is provided:
|
Category |
Typical Tests Included |
Purpose |
|
Blood Test |
CBC, Fasting Blood Sugar, HbA1c |
Detect infections and assess diabetes risk |
|
Lipid Screening |
Total Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides |
Evaluate cardiovascular health |
|
Organ Function Tests |
LFT, KFT |
Monitor liver and kidney performance |
|
Cardiac Screening |
ECG |
Identify potential cardiac irregularities |
|
Urine Analysis |
Routine & Microscopy |
Detect metabolic or renal concerns |
Benefits of Preventive Checkups
There are five main benefits of preventive checkups, which are as follows:
- Early detection of lifestyle-related disorders such as hypertension and diabetes
- Ongoing monitoring of pre-existing medical conditions
- Encouragement for routine health assessments
- Support for informed medical consultation and follow-up
- Improved awareness about personal health parameters
The Selection of the Right Family Insurance Policy
You’ll have to review certain areas to select the most appropriate health insurance policy for your family. Here are a few areas that you need to review for the family floater health insurance selection:
- Adequate sum insured for all members
- Waiting period clauses for specific illnesses
- Availability of network hospitals across India
- Coverage for day care procedures
- Maternity and wellness benefits
- Restoration of the sum insured feature
Insurers like HDFC ERGO’s family floater health insurance have more than 16,000 cashless hospital networks with an average claim approval in under 36 minutes. Some of the main coverage of the insurer includes hospitalisation expenses, day care treatment, home healthcare and a complimentary health checkup at renewal (as per policy guidelines).
Does a Health Checkup Reset Your No-Claim Bonus?
In most of the family health insurance policies, a preventive health checkup does not reset or affect your No Claim Bonus (NCB). Since it is a wellness benefit or one of the value-added services, you can avail of it without losing the accumulated bonus.
However, you may also opt for an NCB protection add-on (if available) to protect the accumulated NCB bonus if you make a few claims.
Final Thoughts
The preventive health checkups form an integral part of many family health insurance policies. Their availability, frequency and scope are defined by specific policy terms, which makes it important to review these aspects carefully. With timely medical attention from the test results, you can prevent the chances of medical complications as well as take the necessary steps to be active for all your family members.
