The convalescence benefits in healthcare insurance are provisions. They are designed to provide financial support to the policyholders after hospitalization during their recovery time. It is a lump-sum amount that you can get as per the policy’s terms and conditions. You can think of it as additional help from your insurance company.
Understanding Convalescence Benefits
The convalescence benefits offer a fixed amount of money to the policyholder to cover the expenses incurred during their recovery phases. It works more like a safety net that looks out for you in several ways when you face a health crisis.
For example, when you are hospitalized, you will stay out of work. In that case, you lose out on your income. This is where the convalescence benefits come into the picture. It helps you make up for some of that lost income. However, it is not only limited to personal health insurance; it can be part of other insurance coverage as well.
How does convalescence benefit work?
If you want to know how the convalescence benefits work in health insurance, let’s understand it with a proper example. This will give you a clear idea of how this works.
- Suppose, Liza is an IT professional who works for an IT company. He took a health insurance policy a few years back. It offers a lump-sum amount of money to him as convalescence benefits for a minimum hospitalization of 10 days.
- Now, Liza is hospitalized for some treatment. She is now in her recovery phase but Liza needed to be hospitalized for at least 15 days.
- Therefore, she can’t join the office. It ultimately will lead to loss of income.
- But, as she is a part of the convalescence benefits, she will get the money as a substitute for her lost income.
Remember, Liza got the money because she was admitted to the hospital for the right number of days as per the insurance policy. The hospitalization period and convalescence will differ from person to person.
When to claim convalescence benefits?
The convalescence benefits are not a part of all health insurance plans. So, you must check your policy to know whether you can claim it. However, you can buy it as an add-on.
- The policyholder can claim the convalescence benefits when they are hospitalized for more than the number of days mentioned in the policy.
- Suppose, the benefits begin 10 days after hospitalization, policyholders cannot claim it after 5 days of hospitalization.
Top 4 points to know about convalescence benefits:
Before you claim or buy convalescence benefits, you must know the following things-
- This benefit can be an important part of group or individual health insurance policies.
- It is generally available 7 to 10 days after the hospitalization. Though, it depends on the terms and policies of the coverage.
- The policy may not include incurred expenses for family visits to the hospital.
- It is an addition to the medical expense you have paid already. It is often called a recuperating benefit.
Conclusion
The convalescence benefits are a hidden advantage that may come with a policy. So, know if your policy offers you this benefit. Then, claim it whenever needed to prevent losing your own income.
