- Date : 06/08/2020
- Read: 4 mins
A comprehensive health insurance policy is one of those things you need at all phases in your life, irrespective of marital status.
When wedding bells are near, health insurance may be the last thing on your mind. You’ll be thinking about your wedding outfit, guest list, honeymoon, and starting the next chapter of your life with your partner. That new chapter of your life, however, requires some technical and financial considerations if it is to be strong and smooth. Continuing to have a comprehensive health insurance cover to financially safeguard your health is one of them.
You have various options for porting your health insurance, depending on the following scenarios:
1. Individual health insurance plan
If, before your wedding, you have an individual health insurance plan, you can continue with the same after marriage. Nothing changes in terms of your policy benefits or sum assured. You only need to inform your insurance company and submit a copy of your marriage certificate. This is to make necessary changes in your personal details such as your address and your name and signature, in case you are taking on your husband’s last name.
You can also get your husband covered under your health insurance policy. This could depend on your partner’s health, so check with your insurance company. Most insurers only require a copy of the marriage certificate and the partner’s KYC documents.
Related: Here's everything you wanted to know about marriage women's property act
2. Husband’s individual health insurance plan
If your husband already has an individual health insurance plan, you could look at being covered under that policy. If you both of you have individual health insurance policies, you can choose to continue with them separately. Compare both policies (especially the benefits and coverage provided), decide which suits your needs better, and choose to be jointly covered under that health insurance plan.
Some of the features you should look at are cashless hospitalisation, network hospitals, the insurer’s claim settlement ratio, customer service, co-payment, and waiting periods for different conditions. The premium amount is an important factor, but it’s not the only thing that should drive your decision.
3. Family floater health insurance plan
Chances are you are covered under a family health insurance plan your parents have. You will continue to be covered under that plan even after you get married. Most often, however, family health insurance plans have an age limit for dependent children (usually between 21 and 25 years). So, it’s your age and not your marital status that determines whether you are covered under the policy or not. If you are within the age limit, you needn’t worry about having to get another health insurance policy after the wedding. Not right away, at least.
You can also choose to be covered under your husband’s family health insurance plan as his wife, in case such a family plan exists. In this case, you will cease to be covered under your family’s health insurance plan. As before, you’ll need to submit a copy of your marriage certificate and your KYC documents to your husband’s insurer.
Related: Best health insurance plans for single moms
4. Employer-provided health insurance
If the company you work for provides health insurance, great. That won’t change even after you get married. In fact, you may get an option to include your husband as one of your dependents, if you don’t have your parents enrolled already.
However, if employer-provided health insurance is the only health cover you have, it won’t be enough. The coverage is usually not sufficient and may not have important add-ons such as maternity cover. You should look up health insurance plans to supplement your current employer-provided insurance.
Things to keep in mind
- The waiting period for maternity cover in India is around 3–4 years, which is a long time. So, even if you aren’t planning for motherhood in the near future, it’s best to get this cover now so you can easily complete the waiting period.
- After you and your partner sit and review your existing health insurance plans, you may realise that your needs after getting married are different. You may need to opt for a new plan to meet them, either with a higher sum insured or with specific add-ons.
- As a woman, your healthcare needs are different from those of men, so you must ensure that your health insurance policy takes care of them. Health conditions such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, etc. are often not covered under conventional health insurance plans, so you may have to opt for a woman-specific cover.
- If your family and friends have been pestering you to reveal what wedding gifts you would like, why not add a comprehensive health insurance plan to your gift registry? Once you have selected the policy you want, you could let them pay the premium as a wedding gift. Look at these 7 Women-specific health conditions that your insurance needs to cover.
When wedding bells are near, health insurance may be the last thing on your mind. You’ll be thinking about your wedding outfit, guest list, honeymoon, and starting the next chapter of your life with your partner. That new chapter of your life, however, requires some technical and financial considerations if it is to be strong and smooth. Continuing to have a comprehensive health insurance cover to financially safeguard your health is one of them.
You have various options for porting your health insurance, depending on the following scenarios:
1. Individual health insurance plan
If, before your wedding, you have an individual health insurance plan, you can continue with the same after marriage. Nothing changes in terms of your policy benefits or sum assured. You only need to inform your insurance company and submit a copy of your marriage certificate. This is to make necessary changes in your personal details such as your address and your name and signature, in case you are taking on your husband’s last name.
You can also get your husband covered under your health insurance policy. This could depend on your partner’s health, so check with your insurance company. Most insurers only require a copy of the marriage certificate and the partner’s KYC documents.
Related: Here's everything you wanted to know about marriage women's property act
2. Husband’s individual health insurance plan
If your husband already has an individual health insurance plan, you could look at being covered under that policy. If you both of you have individual health insurance policies, you can choose to continue with them separately. Compare both policies (especially the benefits and coverage provided), decide which suits your needs better, and choose to be jointly covered under that health insurance plan.
Some of the features you should look at are cashless hospitalisation, network hospitals, the insurer’s claim settlement ratio, customer service, co-payment, and waiting periods for different conditions. The premium amount is an important factor, but it’s not the only thing that should drive your decision.
3. Family floater health insurance plan
Chances are you are covered under a family health insurance plan your parents have. You will continue to be covered under that plan even after you get married. Most often, however, family health insurance plans have an age limit for dependent children (usually between 21 and 25 years). So, it’s your age and not your marital status that determines whether you are covered under the policy or not. If you are within the age limit, you needn’t worry about having to get another health insurance policy after the wedding. Not right away, at least.
You can also choose to be covered under your husband’s family health insurance plan as his wife, in case such a family plan exists. In this case, you will cease to be covered under your family’s health insurance plan. As before, you’ll need to submit a copy of your marriage certificate and your KYC documents to your husband’s insurer.
Related: Best health insurance plans for single moms
4. Employer-provided health insurance
If the company you work for provides health insurance, great. That won’t change even after you get married. In fact, you may get an option to include your husband as one of your dependents, if you don’t have your parents enrolled already.
However, if employer-provided health insurance is the only health cover you have, it won’t be enough. The coverage is usually not sufficient and may not have important add-ons such as maternity cover. You should look up health insurance plans to supplement your current employer-provided insurance.
Things to keep in mind
- The waiting period for maternity cover in India is around 3–4 years, which is a long time. So, even if you aren’t planning for motherhood in the near future, it’s best to get this cover now so you can easily complete the waiting period.
- After you and your partner sit and review your existing health insurance plans, you may realise that your needs after getting married are different. You may need to opt for a new plan to meet them, either with a higher sum insured or with specific add-ons.
- As a woman, your healthcare needs are different from those of men, so you must ensure that your health insurance policy takes care of them. Health conditions such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, etc. are often not covered under conventional health insurance plans, so you may have to opt for a woman-specific cover.
- If your family and friends have been pestering you to reveal what wedding gifts you would like, why not add a comprehensive health insurance plan to your gift registry? Once you have selected the policy you want, you could let them pay the premium as a wedding gift. Look at these 7 Women-specific health conditions that your insurance needs to cover.
