Care Freedom Health Insurance

About the Care Freedom Health Insurance

Care Health Insurance is a subsidiary of Religare Enterprise. It was formerly known as Religare Health Insurance. The organization got an IRDA approval in July 2017. It is one of the five private-sector insurers to underwrite policies specifically in the area of personal accident, health and travel insurance domain.

One of the most popular products rolled out by Care Health Insurance is Care Freedom. In the financial year of 2019, Care Health Insurance reported a claim settlement ratio of 92.58%. The organization provides a cover for the treatment of COVID-19. In-house claim settlement is provided along with policies with lifelong renewability.

As of now, the Religare Care Freedom policy is provided with a network of over 8,250 hospitals. Other insurance products provided by the organization are maternity policies, top-up coverage, health insurance, international travel insurance, and critical illness for both groups and individuals.

    The Care Freedom policy is popularly known to provide freedom from diabetes charges. This is a unique policy that provides health insurance benefits for every age group. In this policy, coverage is provided for medical charges incurred due to illness, injury, or accidents.

    The minimum entry age in this policy is 90 days. At the same time, there is no upper limit for the entry age in regards to this policy. The coverage of this policy is also extended to cover individuals who have been successfully cured of tuberculosis. Coverage for pre-existing ailments like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity for people with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 37 is also provided.

    The Care Freedom plan comes with a lifelong renewability option. All medical expenses are covered in this plan, including day-care treatments, pre-hospitalization, post-hospitalization, and annual health check-ups. All this is provided to the individual irrespective of claims history.

    In this health insurance plan, no pre-policy medical check-up is required. The automatic recharge feature of the sum insured is provided with this policy. The insured individual can also get cashless and direct claim settlement services in a completely hassle-free manner.

    The Care Freedom health insurance policy comes with a waiting period of 2 years for availing of the pre-existing disease cover. The total sum insured cover in this policy can be extended up to Rs.5 lakh. This policy is ideal for both individuals and large corporations.

    It should be noted that the Care Freedom plan is provided in two variants of optimum coverage and optional coverage. These plans are also more popularly known as Plan 1 and Plan 2. Before talking about these variants in-depth, let’s look at some key highlights of this policy. These highlights are given below.

    • No pre-policy medical check-up is required for individuals who wish to buy Plan 1. This is applicable for all ages and sum insured options
    • The total sum insured amount will be recharged automatically if it is exhausted by the coverage limit
    • This policy can be renewed throughout the lifetime of the policyholder and there is no outer age limit for the same
    • One can enjoy tax benefits on the amount of premium paid. This benefit is provided according to the Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961 at the extant rates.

    The scope of cover for this plan is mentioned in the table given below.

    Parameter

    Minimum

    Maximum

    Entry Age

    For children, 90 days

    For adults, 18 years

    For children, 24 years

    For adults, there is no maximum age limit

    Total Number of Members Covered

    In the case of adults, 1

    In the case of children, 0

    In the case of adults, 2

    In the case of children, 4

    The number of maximum members should not exceed the limit of 6 members

    Total Sum Insured

    For Plan 1, Rs.2 lakh

    For Plan 2, Rs.2 lakh

    For Plan 1, Rs.5 lakh

    For Plan 2, Rs.10 lakh

    Total Policy Tenure

    1 year

    2 years or 3 years

    Pre-Policy Medical Check-Up

    Not required for enrolling in Policy 1 but required for enrolling in Policy 2. In the latter case, the cost of the health check-up will be borne by the company if a policy term of 2 to 3 years is selected. If a 1-year policy term is selected, then 50% of the total health check-up cost will be borne by the insurer

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    There are also some discounts available with this policy. These discounts are:

    • A 15% discount is provided for all employees and dependents of employees working in corporation banks and their subsidiaries. This discount can also be used by individuals working in union banks and their subsidiaries
    • A 7.5% discount on the premium amount is provided for a policy tenure of 2 years
    • A 10% discount is provided on selecting a policy tenure of 3 years
    • A total of 5% family discount is provided if two or three members of the same family are covered under this policy
    • If four to six members are covered in the same policy, then a 10% family discount is applicable
    • If an individual opts for the deductible option, then he or she can also get a deductible discount

    There are some important features and benefits provided with the Care Freedom Health Insurance policy. These features and benefits are:

    • Day-Care Treatment Benefit: There are some surgical procedures and treatments that do not require the patient to stay at the hospital for over 24 hours. The coverage for these treatments is also provided in this policy.
    • Deductible Feature: A pre-decided deductible amount will be applicable on the claim reimbursement. This amount will be based on the total sum insured value selected by the policyholder.
    • Pre-Hospitalization Benefit: The majority of medical charges incurred for a maximum of 30 days before being admitted to the hospital are covered in this policy. The value of compensation will depend on the sum insured amount selected at the time of policy purchase.
    • Post-Hospitalization Benefit: All medical charges incurred up to 60 days after being discharged from the hospital are covered.
    • Recharge Benefit: 100% of the sum insured value will be recharged if it gets exhausted due to previous claims. This recharge amount is completely dependent on the sum insured amount selected at the time of purchase.
    • Daily Hospitalization Allowance: A daily cash allowance of Rs.500 to Rs.1,000 can be provided per day for a maximum of 7 days of hospitalization after 3 days. The exact daily hospitalization allowance will depend on the sum insured selected.
    • Health Check-Up: In the Care Freedom Health Insurance policy, policyholders are eligible for free annual health check-ups.
    • Home Hospitalization or Domiciliary Hospitalization Benefit: Cover for treatments availed at home up to a maximum of 10% of the base sum insured is provided. This cover is provided after 3 days of treatment.
    • Emergency Ambulance Charges Cover: Coverage for domestic road ambulance charges is provided up to Rs.1,000 per hospitalization.
    • Free Look Period Feature: A free look period of 15 days is provided with this policy. This means that if a policyholder wishes to discontinue the policy, then he or she can place a refund and return request for the same within 15 days from the date of receipt of the policy documents. This is subject to certain conditions that are laid out in the fine print.
    • Dialysis Cover: A dialysis cover for medical expenses incurred by the insured is applicable. Under this cover, one can get Rs.1,000 per sitting for a period of 24 consecutive months.
    • Room Rent or Room Category Feature: Capping of a maximum of 1% of the sum insured value per day is applicable. In-patient care is also limited up to a twin sharing room.
    • Co-Payment Feature: A co-payment of up to 20% to 30% has to be paid depending on the sum insured selected. The co-payment can also be increased by 10% per claim for individuals who are 70 years of age or older. This is an optional feature that is considered mandatory for only first-time entrants.
    • Sub-Limits Feature: In the case of treatment of cataracts, one can receive up to Rs.20,000 or Rs.30,000 per eye depending on the sum insured value. For knee replacement surgeries, one can make a claim of Rs.70,000 to Rs.1.2 lakh per knee. Further, for treatments of certain ailments listed in the policy documents, one can get coverage for medical expenses up to Rs.35,000 to Rs.3 lakh. The exact amount is directly influenced by the total sum insured.
    • ICU Charges Cover: ICU charges cover is limited to 2% of the sum insured amount per day.
    • Cooling Off Period: A 30 days cooling off period is provided in case of all claims. The only exception to this rule are claims that are made due to accidental injuries.
    • Specific Illnesses Waiting Period: In case of certain illnesses like cataracts, hernia, arthritis, and kidney stone, a waiting period of 24 months has been stipulated in the policy.
    • Pre-Existing Illnesses Waiting Period: In the case of pre-existing illnesses, a waiting period of 24 months has to be observed before making any claims.

    There are also some optional covers provided in this policy at a slightly higher cost. These optional covers are:

    • Optional Cover 1: This cover comes in a combination of OPD consultation benefits, wellness center access, and discounts in pharmacy. The purpose of this cover is to help the policyholder achieve better health.
    • Optional Cover 2: This optional is provided with the main goal of home care. One can get a domiciliary hospitalization benefit of up to Rs.1,000 per day for a maximum of 7 days after suffering from an illness or injury. In a single policy year, this benefit can be availed up to a maximum of 45 days after a deductible of 1 day.
    • Optional Cover 3: In this cover, the annual free health check-up will be upgraded to a diabetes health check-up or cardiac health check-up. It should be noted that the coverage provided under the optional cover is over and above the sum insured value.

    A few key inclusions of the Care Freedom Health insurance policy are:

    • A free annual health check-up is provided with this plan
    • The policy is provided with lifelong renewability
    • Cashless treatments are provided with this policy at leading hospitals in the company’s network
    • Pre-hospitalization charges of up to 30 days are provided
    • Coverage for post-hospitalization expenses of up to 60 days is given

    Some factors that are not covered in this policy are mentioned below.

    • Medical treatment charges of OPD
    • Any medical treatments related to alcohol or drug use, misuse, or abuse
    • Treatment charges due to self-inflicted injuries are not covered

    Care Freedom Health Insurance is a policy that is designed to provide financial freedom to policyholders in case of medical emergencies. This is a very comprehensive plan that comes with several benefits. There are also some optional coverage benefits provided after paying an additional premium to the insurer.

    There are different variants of this plan. Customers can select the plan of their choice depending on their needs and requirements. There is also no maximum age associated with this health insurance plan.

    Policyholders have also rated this policy very highly. If you are considering purchasing this policy, then you should go through some of those reviews. For your convenience, we have mentioned those reviews below.

    • Everything on the Mobile, says Anusrita Mondal (5 stars / 5 stars): I’m a Care Freedom health insurance policyholder and I have never had a policy before this that was this easy to handle. I can do everything through the mobile application. There are no glitches till now and I’m very happy with everything.
    • Efficient Care Health Insurance, say Sneha Parkri (5 stars / 5 stars): I’m extremely thankful to Care Health Insurance and its services. This year I went through a lot of difficulties and my sum insured got exhausted. Thank God for the restore benefit option. I was saved from financial ruin because of that benefit. I will always be a Care Health loyal customer.
    • Efficient Services, says Jayshree Bagchi (5 stars / 5 stars): I have no complaints from Care Freedom health insurance. I was able to purchase and maintain this policy without any hassle. The customer service department is very efficient and always gets the job done. Keep up the good work!

    Care Freedom Health Insurance FAQs

    I want to buy the Care Freedom health insurance plan. Do I need a pre-policy medical check-up?

    If you want to purchase the Plan 1 variant of the Care Freedom health insurance plan, then you don’t need to undergo a pre-policy medical check-up. However, if you want to opt for the Plan 2 variant, then you might be required to get a pre-policy medical check-up. You can directly contact the Care Health Insurance customer service department to learn more information about the same.

    Can I get annual free health check-ups with my Care Freedom health insurance policy?

    Yes, free annual health check-ups are provided with the Care Freedom health insurance policy.

    Is there a maximum entry age for Care Freedom Health Insurance plan?

    No, there is no maximum entry age limit applicable to the Care Freedom health insurance plan for the individual or family floater variant.