Just as you can’t escape inflation, you can also not run from the ever-rising healthcare costs. The simplest way to deal with it is to invest in a good health insurance plan as not only does it cover your daily health related expenses but also leaves you worry free in case of emergencies and accidents.
However, the most difficult and agonizing part of any health insurance plan is its premium. With rising inflation, the premium is also on the rise. So how do you plan your budget to meet the rise in health insurance premium? Follow these tips mentioned below and manage your premium better.
- Increase your health insurance cover progressively
Invest in a good health insurance plan as soon as you start earning money for yourself. When you start young, you will enjoy the benefit of having to play a much lesser premium value as a result of not having to support a family (or a small family, if you have one). As your family size increases, you can keep on increasing the cover progressively. Or there is another option of going for a top-up cover for the extra expenses.
- Invest in mutual funds or blue-chip dividend stocks
Blue-chip dividend stocks give a fixed regular dividend. Same is the case with mutual funds. When you invest in either of these two, you will be assured of regular dividend flows. This steady flow of money can be used effectively to meet your rising premium payments.
- Invest in equities
Just as dividend stocks and mutual funds, investing in equities can also help you solve the problem of rising premiums. Returns on the equities have been found to beat the rate of inflation over the long term. This becomes even more useful when you reach the age of 60 and your health insurance premium really shoots up. Here you can take advantage of your equity investments and plan your premium payments better.
- Select your insurance company carefully
When you are comparing different health insurance providers, do not compare them just on the basis of the premium they are charging. You also need to look at other features such as whether the provider increases your premium (and by how much) if you exercise a claim in a year. Try to avoid policies that drastically raise your premium when you exercise your claim. Also, there are many insurance providers that offer a discounted premium if you go claim-free for a year.
- Split the cover among different insurers
No one is forcing you to take insurance from just one insurance provider. You can go to multiple providers and split your costs and premiums. Different providers increase their premium rates in different ways. So you may be able to benefit from a lower premium increase from one of your insurance providers if you split your cover.
- Check for higher premium for different age groups
Some insurance providers charge a high premium for the older age groups which is why you need to look for insurance providers that charge a constant premium for all age groups.
Keep all these things in mind when you plan your health insurance premium as it is an important and a major expense. By planning it well, you can save the trouble of dealing with any unexpected changes better.