Dengue outbreak: Should you buy vector borne disease specific health insurance

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Amid the battle against Covid-19 pandemic, vector-borne diseases are returning with a vengeance. As per latest official data, till now more than 1.16 lakh cases of the dengue have been reported across the country only this year. As many as nine states and Union territories including Delhi are highly affected. Under these circumstances, a health insurance policy can play a vital role. There are several plans available in the market that cover these vector-borne diseases at a low cost. Two types of policies available that reimburse your hospitalisation expenses or pay a lump sum amount on diagnosis of the covered vector-borne diseases.

Features

Vector-borne diseases are illnesses caused by virus, bacteria, and parasites that are transmitted by mosquitoes.

These insurance plans pay you the sum insured in case the policyholder gets hospitalised for a minimum period of 24 hours.

There is no need for any pre-insurance medical examination for buying vector-borne disease policies.

These are available on both an individual and family floater plan.

Sum insured, premium rates

The sum assured can range between Rs 10,000 to Rs 20 lakh. The premium rates do not depend on the age. The premium varies from insurer to insurer.

Policy term

The minimum policy term is one year for all insurers and some insurers offer the policy for a period of three years. In case of long-term policies, policyholders will get discounts on the premium.

Entry age

These policies generally cover children from the age of day one. The maximum entry age is usually 65 years. But one can renew it for life.

Waiting period

Vector borne disease-specific policies have an initial waiting period of 15 days from the date of commencement of risk.

Should you buy?

There are many options available in the market for vector-borne plans. They offer wider coverage and greater flexibility. But as per experts, you should always buy a comprehensive cover first as the first layer of protection.