Health insurance offers coverage for several types of ailments and surgeries. Hence, it is important for everybody to purchase a health policy. However, the need for health insurance changes from youth to old age depending on the lifestyle and genetics.

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Here are the features one should keep in mind while buying health insurance at different life stages, according to Sudha Reddy - head - health and travel - Digit Insurance:

First Job

When starting the first job, customers can opt for personal accident cover with higher/additional sum insured for accidental hospitalisation. Assuming that these customers are young and less prone to diseases, they can choose plans with higher waiting period if there's no pre-existing disease to reduce premium.

With time, they can increase the sum insured to keep pace with medical inflation.

The recommended sum insured (SI) for them is in between Rs 5 to 10 lakh.

Also read: Common health insurance terms you should be aware of

Corporate Professionals

Corporate professionals can go for top up with deductible matching group medical cover offered by employer. They should go for higher waiting period in case of no pre-existing disease to reduce premium.

Additionally, they must look for Out Patient Department (OPD) cover.

The OPD cover will enable policyholders to claim for expenses incurred, without being hospitalised.

The recommended sum insured for corporate professionals is in between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

Newly Weds

Newly weds should go for maternity cover (including new-born baby cover and vaccinations ) and infertility treatment. Also, they should opt for cumulative bonus.

A cumulative bonus in health insurance refers to the monetary advantage policyholders gain as a reward for not making any claims in one policy year.

Further, they should opt for increase in sum insured option to keep pace with medical inflation

The recommended sum insured for them is Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh.

Also read: How wellness and preventive features will help health insurance policyholders

Taking For Family

These policyholders should go for yearly increase in sum insured option to keep pace with medical inflation. They should also opt for sum insured refill benefits to allow insurance companies to reinstate the entire sum insured in the policy year when it gets exhausted due to incurred claims.

The can go for top up with lower deductible options in case they already have any policy less than Rs 5 lakh.

The recommended sum insured for them is in between Rs 10 to Rs 20 lakh.

Retiring Soon

They should opt for lower pre-existing disease waiting periods as they are prone to diseases. They can go for co-payment options to get higher sum insured at lower premium.

Additionally, they should opt for home care treatment and critical illness cover.

Further, they should go for yearly increase in SI option to keep pace with medical inflation.

The recommended sum insured for them is minimum of Rs 10 lakh.

Senior Citizens

They should also go for co-payment options to get higher sum insured at lower premium and opt for home care treatments and critical illness cover. As they are more prone to medical emergencies, they must go for lower pre-existing disease waiting periods.

The recommended sum insured for them is in between Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh.

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