MEDICAL supplies and treatment cost big bucks today.

In an age where lifestyle diseases or conditions like diabetes, heart attacks and cancer are common, it pays to be financially prepared.

We give you the lowdown on two medical policies: the features, the damages and the fine print.

Mediclaim policy

1. In addition to your actual hospitalisation and treatment expenses, this covers pre and post hospitalisation expenses. These include room rent, operation theatre charges, doctors' fees, tests, medicines, expenses of a home nurse or physio etc, as per the terms of the policy.

2. It covers expenses incurred to cure your ailment.

Critical illness cover

1. Say, you have a attack, you will have to skip work, which means you lose your salary. A critical illness rider would cover this loss of income.

2. The entire sum assured is paid to you as soon as certain 'pre-specified' diseases or conditions like heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, stroke, organ transplant, etc, are diagnosed. You don't have to worry about submitting proof of expenses incurred or to be incurred.

Calculate: How much insurance do I need for my family?

Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |  

e-mail: Sanjay Matai

Suggest a story idea! Write to us!