Securing the best life insurance policy and health insurance is not just a choice but a necessity. These two pillars of financial security play pivotal roles in safeguarding an individual’s and their family’s future. Below, explored here are the compelling reasons why opting for both life and health insurance policies is crucial.
Covering healthcare costs
Health insurance in India is becoming increasingly important as medical costs soar. It covers a wide range of expenses, from doctor’s consultations to surgeries and hospital stays. Without health insurance, families may face significant financial challenges in paying for medical treatments, especially in the case of hospitalization, surgeries, or long-term care, which can be prohibitively expensive.
Financial security for family
Life insurance is crucial for ensuring that your family remains financially stable in case of your unexpected demise. The payout from a life insurance policy can be substantial, often several times your annual income. This sum can help cover daily living expenses, mortgage, or rent, and even future costs like your children’s education, ensuring that your family’s lifestyle and dreams are not compromised due to financial hardship.
Combating lifestyle diseases
With the rise in lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, health insurance is essential. The cost of ongoing treatment, including medications, regular check-ups, and lifestyle management programs, can be substantial. Health insurance helps manage these expenses, ensuring access to quality healthcare without depleting savings.
Education and future planning
A life insurance policy can be a strategic tool for securing your children’s future, especially in terms of education. The sum assured can be aligned with your children’s educational goals, ensuring that funds are available for their higher education or other aspirations, even if you are not around to see it through.
Debt protection
Life insurance provides crucial protection in managing debts after the policyholder’s demise. If you have loans or mortgages, the insurance payout can be used to settle these debts, ensuring that your family does not bear this burden. This protection is especially important for sole earners or those with significant financial liabilities.
Income replacement
Life insurance acts as an income replacement tool. In the event of the breadwinner’s demise, the family’s financial situation can become precarious. The payout from a life insurance policy can replace this lost income, helping to maintain the family’s standard of living and enabling them to meet ongoing financial commitments.
Tax benefits
Both life and health insurance premiums are eligible for tax deductions under Section 80C and Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961. This benefit reduces your taxable income, thus reducing your tax liability, and makes these insurances a cost-effective component of financial planning.
Retirement planning
Some life insurance products in India offer a combination of protection and savings, allowing you to build a corpus over time that can be used during retirement. These plans often include regular payouts or lump sums that can supplement other retirement income sources, ensuring a comfortable and financially secure retirement.
Inflation buffer
The lump sum provided by a life insurance policy can help your family maintain its lifestyle against the backdrop of rising inflation. This is particularly important when considering long-term financial goals and the erosion of purchasing power over time.
Medical inflation hedge
As medical costs continue to rise, health insurance becomes a necessary shield. It ensures that you and your family can afford necessary medical treatments without being burdened by the escalating costs of healthcare services.
Business security
For entrepreneurs and business owners, life insurance is critical. It ensures that in the event of their untimely demise, there are sufficient funds to keep the business running, thereby protecting employees’ livelihoods and the business’s future.
Critical illness coverage
With the prevalence of critical illnesses, many health insurance policies in India now offer specific coverage for such diseases. This includes coverage for treatments, hospitalization, and sometimes even recuperation aids, which can be financially draining without insurance.
Maternity and newborn coverage
This feature in health insurance plans covers expenses related to childbirth, including pre- and post-natal care, delivery expenses, and sometimes even newborn baby care. It’s a significant benefit for young families, easing the financial burden associated with childbirth.
Cashless hospitalisation
Many health insurance policies offer cashless hospitalization facilities, allowing you to receive medical treatment without paying upfront. This feature is particularly useful during emergencies, reducing the stress of arranging funds at short notice.
Mental peace
Having life and health insurance in place provides mental peace and a sense of security, knowing that you and your family are financially protected against unexpected life events. This can reduce stress and anxiety related to financial uncertainties.
Avoiding dependency
Insurance ensures that in times of financial crisis, such as a health emergency or the demise of the breadwinner, the family does not have to rely on external support. It helps maintain dignity and independence in difficult times.
Support during retirement
Life insurance policies with maturity benefits can provide financial support during retirement. This can include annuities or lump-sum payouts, which act as a financial buffer in your golden years, ensuring you don’t outlive your savings.
Long-term savings and investment
Certain life insurance policies are designed as long-term investment tools. They not only provide life cover but also build a corpus over time, which can be used for various purposes like funding your child’s marriage, buying property, or other significant expenses.
Diversifying financial portfolio
Insurance products add diversity to your financial portfolio. They provide a balance between risk and return, protecting your assets while offering growth opportunities through certain types of insurance policies.
Coverage for pre-existing diseases
Health insurance policies that cover pre-existing conditions after a waiting period are crucial. They ensure that individuals suffering from such conditions can receive necessary treatments without financial hardship.
Enhanced coverage with riders
Riders are additional benefits that can be attached to standard insurance policies. They offer enhanced coverage for specific situations like accidental death, disability, or critical illness, providing broader protection.
Income tax-free payouts
The death benefit from a life insurance policy is generally tax-free. This ensures that the full amount of the payout goes to your beneficiaries, providing them with the maximum financial benefit.
Flexibility and choice
The insurance market offers a wide range of life and health insurance products, catering to different needs, preferences, and life stages. This diversity allows individuals to select policies that align closely with their personal financial goals and family needs.
Lump-sum benefit in critical illness
Critical illness riders in life insurance policies provide a lump-sum payout upon the diagnosis of a critical illness. This can be crucial in managing high medical expenses and maintaining financial stability during challenging times.
Preventive healthcare benefits
Many health insurance policies now offer benefits for preventive healthcare, including regular health check-ups. This encourages early detection and management of potential health issues, potentially reducing long-term healthcare costs.
Ending note
Incorporating both life and health insurance into your financial planning is not just a safeguard but a strategic move in today’s uncertain world. Especially in India, where family and health are of utmost importance, these insurance policies act as pillars of strength. They not only provide financial stability and peace of mind but also ensure that life’s unpredictable moments do not derail your financial goals and the wellbeing of your loved ones. Embracing life and health insurance is embracing a future that is secure, planned, and above all, insured against the unforeseen twists of fate.