My wife has a health policy. She recently underwent an operation and made a claim for it. Now, she needs to go for another operation. Can she make another claim?
Kumar Anshuman, Indore
The sum insured under a health policy signifies the total amount insured for the policy period. If a claim is made, the sum insured reduces to the extent of the claim. Health policies are taken for a specific period, usually 12 months, and have to be renewed after that. The maximum claim amount is fixed when the policy is bought.
Suppose a person has made a claim of Rs 1.5 lakh against the sum insured of Rs 2 lakh, only Rs 50,000 will be available for any claim which may arise during the remaining policy period. The sum insured can be restored by paying extra premium. Also, the premium would be higher next year as you made a claim last year. Sometimes, insurers also put a restriction on the number of claims a person can make in one year and the time gap between two claims. You need to go through your policy to find out the exact conditions.
