Introduction
Before we start comparing these two policies we have to set out some ground rules.
For starters, both policies, Care Heart and Care Senior are marketed by the same insurance company. So in some ways, a lot of the differences within the product will be limited to the features themselves.
Second, we know that both products are built for very different use cases. Care Heart is built for people suffering from heart ailments. Care Senior is built for senior citizens. And that means you’re comparing very different products here. So analysis will be tainted by this distinction.
And finally, any comparison is ultimately futile without considering the use case. Who are you buying this policy for? You, your family, your parents?
That’s something you’ll need to answer before using this guide. So with that introduction out of the way, we can get to comparing the actual policies themselves.
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Compare Insurances Insurance Parameters Recommended Not Recommended | ||
---|---|---|
Network hospitals | 11,400+ | 11,400+ |
Claim settlement ratio (avg. of last 3 years) | 90% | 90% |
Co-payment | 20% | 20% |
Room rent | Single Private room | Any Room (up to 1% of sum insured) |
Disease sub-limit | Yes | Yes |
Pre existing diseases waiting | 2 years | 4 years |
Pre/Post hospitalization | 30/60 days | 30/60 days |
No claim bonus | 10% per year (up to 50%) | 10% per year (up to 50%) |
Domiciliary | ||
Ayush treatments | ||
Restoration benefit | 100% restoration (once for different illness) | 100% restoration (once for different illness) |
Health check-up | Once every year | Once every year |
Maternity | ||
Out Patient Department | ||
Day care |
Feature Comparison
Co payment
With a co-payment clause, the insurer will mandate that you pay a part of the bill. So if the bill adds up to Rs. 2,00,000 and the co-payment is set at 20% then you could be asked to pay Rs. 40,000 from the bill. In this case, however, Care Heart imposes a co payment of 20% if you're under the age of 70 and 30% if you're 71 and above whereas Care Senior imposes a mandatory co-payment of null%.
Room rent
If the policy does impose room rent restrictions then the insurer may only let you stay in a room of a certain specification or impose a cap on the total room rent. If you were to breach either criterion then the insurance company may ask you to pay a portion of all the expenses you incurred while staying in the room. In this case, however, Care Heart lets you stay in a single private room and Care Senior only lets you stay in a room whose rent doesn’t exceed 1% of the sum insured. In effect, both policies impose restrictions on the kind of room you can pick.
Sub limits
Some policies will tell you that they will cover all medical expenses up until the sum insured, but then impose caps on the total costs you can incur while dealing with a very specific list of diseases. We call these caps “Disease Wise Sub Limits.” In this case, Care Heart imposes disease-wise sub-limits on Knee Replacement, Hernia, Hysterectomy, Benign Prostate, Treatment of Cerebrovascular disorders, Treatment of Cancer whereas Care Senior imposes sub-limits on Cataract, Knee Replacement, Hernia, Hysterectomy, Benign Prostate Hypertrophy, Renal Stones, Cancer, Cerebrovascular, Cardiovasular disorders
Waiting periods for pre-existing diseases
If you’re suffering from a lifestyle condition or if you’ve had surgery in the past, or if you’re dealing with an acute or chronic illness at the time of buying the policy, then the insurer may classify this as a pre-existing disease. And they may tell you that they will only cover these illnesses after some time. In this case, Care Heart imposes a waiting period of 2 years on pre-existing diseases while Care Senior extends a waiting period of 4 years on existing conditions.
Pre and post Hospitalization expenses
Most people aren’t hospitalized right off the bat. Instead, they’ll have to go through a whole series of diagnostic tests before hospitalization and take medication post-discharge. These costs are outlined as pre-hospitalization expenses and post-hospitalization expenses respectively. In this case, Care Heart covers expenses incurred 30 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 60 days post-hospitalization. Meanwhile, Care Senior covers expenses incurred 30 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 60 after hospitalization, although there may be different sub-limits
No claim bonus
Some policies will tell you that they will incentivize you for not making a claim in any given year. And they offer such incentives by offering extra cover on top of the existing sum insured. This extra cover is categorized as a no-claim bonus. And in this case, Care Heart offers a no-claim bonus of 10% and Care Senior similarly extends a 10% no-claim bonus.
Domiciliary
Imagine you are forced to treat yourself at home because you don’t find a hospital bed, or you have a chronic condition that prevents you from visiting one, then, insurers may choose to cover your treatment even if you’re hospitalized at home. And such costs are collectively categorized as domiciliary treatment costs. In this case, however, Care Heart offers domiciliary cover. And Care Senior also coves domiciliary expenses.
Ayush treatments
Most policies only cover treatments administered in a registered medical facility. However, on some occasions, you may want to pursue alternative treatments including homoeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. These treatments are collectively categorized as Ayush treatments. And in this case, Care Heart covers Ayush procedures and Care Senior also extends coverage for Ayush treatments.
Maternity benefits
If you’re hospitalized during childbirth, then you may have to incur significant costs during delivery of your newborn, child care and other related matters during the course of the hospitalization. These costs are collectively termed maternity costs. And in this case, neither Care Heart offers maternity cover nor does Care Senior.
Out Patient Department (OPD)
Doctor visits and regular consultations aren’t usually covered by health insurance policies. They are categorized as Outpatient consultations (or OPD treatments) and patients have to bear the cost on their own. In this case, however, neither Care Heart extends coverage for outpatient consultations, nor does Care Senior.
Final Conclusion
Since this isn’t a fair comparison, to begin with, we will only tell you this much. If you want something specifically for people suffering from heart ailments you can go for Care Heart. However, if you are looking to cover senior citizens, then you may want to consider Care Senior.
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