Avoiding Costly Pitfalls: A Guide to First-Time Health Insurance Purchase

When buying health insurance for the first time, avoid common mistakes such as choosing less coverage, ignoring real costs, overlooking hospital networks, forgeting sub-limits, and skipping waiting period details. It's crucial to thoroughly research policies and insurers, ensuring coverage and terms match personal needs for adequate protection and peace of mind.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Mumbai | Updated: 25-08-2025 17:35 IST | Created: 25-08-2025 17:35 IST
Avoiding Costly Pitfalls: A Guide to First-Time Health Insurance Purchase
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Choosing the right health insurance plan requires meticulous consideration, particularly for first-time buyers. Policies may look similar at first glance, but it's essential to delve deeper into the details to ensure the plan suits your individual needs. Rushing through the process can lead to costly mistakes.

One common error is selecting a plan with less coverage to save on premiums. While a low premium might seem appealing, it may not cover significant medical expenses, necessitating a larger sum insured, especially for family floater plans. Likewise, opting for cheap plans can result in higher personal costs due to co-payment clauses.

It's also crucial to assess the hospital network of the insurance plan. A comprehensive national network is redundant if local hospitals aren't included, negating the benefits of cashless treatment. Trustworthy service and a good claim settlement history are vital considerations, alongside the policy's fine print regarding waiting periods and sub-limits.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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