Finalising between Aditya Birla and ICICI Lombard for Senior Citizens
Hello there,
I was looking for health insurance for my parents.
- Father: 69 years old and has diagnosed with Hypertension.
- Mother: 58 years old and has diabetes
Both are doing fine and never hospitalised in last 5 years.
After researching a bit I believe I should go with either Aditya Birla Activ Health: Platinum Enhanced or ICICI Lombard. Though I need your help in deciding which one would be better.
- Should I opt for Super Top Up plan for my mother in ICICI Lombard or should I go with Aditya Birla?
- When should one go for Super Top Up? I can pay premium but it doesn't mean I should, right?
- Should we even consider OPD cover when buying insurance. Seems like these plans are focused mainly on hospitalisation?
- Aditya Birla offers minimum reimbursements on Chronic conditions lab test (Diabetes, Hypertension etc.)
- Agent said that Aditya Birla covers Hypertension and Diabetes after 30 days of policy. Still I'm not convinced. Please help here, what is waiting period for Hypertension and Diabetes under Activ Health: Platinum Enhanced?
- Shall I go for Agent or directly buy policy? Which one would be better? My parents will usually be in Bangalore or their native place.
Let me know if there is better alternative in market apart from these 2 policy.
Is there any string attached to Super Top Up plans? Hoping there is no capping clauses, co-payment etc.
Please ask for the prospectus copy or download from their website and read the one pager on the face of the document - you should know the limits, capping.
Also, What should be the minimum cover for Senior citizen (SI and Super Top Up)?
Ideally, 10L should be the base for each of them and then a Floater Super Topup of 10+10L
Thank you Team Beshak for this information. Really appreciated. You are awesome. 🎉
We exist because of you. So thank you very much, Kalpesh. We would really grateful if you could top this post up once you have taken the decision sharing your experience will help so many others with similar questions. Thank you.
Hello Kalpesh,
You haven't mentioned the name of the ICICI Lombard Plan. Please share the name.
Meanwhile here are our answers:
You should ideally opt for the Super Topup from the same company you have the base plan from. It is much more convenient at the time of claims.
Of course, you should buy anything only when you need it. Super Topup is a cost-effective way to facilitate adequate cover for your parents. It can save you good money. For instance, if you are looking for a 20 L floater cover for your parents. A 10L policy +10 Lakh Super Topup cover will be more cost-effective than a full 20 L cover. Try buying both the plans in the same month.
Don't see OPD adding a lot of value - The covers are pretty low. You can do a cost-benefit analysis and decide what works for you.
In our understanding, the waiting period for pre-existing diseases (Hypertension, Diabetes) will be 36 months, as mentioned in the prospectus. Please ask the agent to provide this confirmation in writing from an Aditya Birla executive.
We have covered this in detail here: Buying insurance from Policybazaar Vs Insurance Company Website Vs Local Agent (beshak.org). We are of the view that a local agent is the best bet, in case s/he has a service track record to handhold its customers during claims or any other running around.
We have listed all the options we are aware of in the senior citizen market in our article here: Top Senior Citizen Health Insurance Plans without Medical Test (beshak.org)
Hope this helps.
Team Beshak