Health Insurance for hypertension: Here’s why and how much cover you should buy
World Hypertension Day 2022: Hypertension is a common condition that we see among many Indians today. It is considered a silent killer as not many patients are aware that they are suffering from this disease until they get hit by stroke, heart attack, kidney damage and other ailments.
The condition is also being witnessed among youngsters due to work-related stress and unhealthy lifestyle. The Covid-19 pandemic since 2020 has also induced unprecedented levels of stress, leading to hypertension among many.
As per estimates, at least one in four adults in India is believed to be suffering from hypertension and only 10 per cent of them have it under control.
A recent analysis of data from 9.9 lakh registered patients by health ministry’s India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) shows that only 47 per cent of people with hypertension have it under control while 23 percent had uncontrolled hypertension. State-wise, the proportion of people with uncontrolled blood pressure during their most recent visit was highest in Kerala.
Why you should buy health insurance
Uncontrolled hypertension makes individuals prone to other complications relating to heart, kidney, and brain. Such hospitalizations may turn out to be expensive and cause a significant financial dent in case of no health cover. The healthcare costs are already rising in India.
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Insurance experts suggest that it is important to buy adequate health cover to financially protect oneself from implications of hypertension.
“Considering hypertension is seen among youngsters as well as elderly, it makes immense sense to get an adequate health cover early in life,” Sudha Reddy, Head – Health, Digit Insurance, told FE Online.
According to Reddy, hypertension is considered a pre-existing disease (PED) and typically has a waiting period of 1-2 years.
“Taking a health cover early in life can help individuals exhaust prevalent waiting periods and make a claim at a later stage if the need arises,” she said.
One can have hypertension also due to genetic reasons. So, individuals who have a family history of hypertension should especially consider taking an adequate health cover early on in life.
How much insurance you should buy
“To cover oneself adequately, it is advisable that individuals who live in a city take a health cover with a sum insured of Rs 10 lakh to adequately protect themselves, said Reddy.