Health Cover Secrets Every Woman Needs to Know

By Sameer Rastogi

If men are charged more for auto insurance, women should be charged more for her medical insurance, debated Time Magazine in 2013. Here’s why?

• An average woman lives longer than a man
• Women carry and deliver babies, maternity care is expensive
• Women seek preventive care and visit doctors more often. This amounts to additional screening costs

More specifically, your medical needs are vastly different and complex from that of men.

What are the diseases that women are more susceptible to than men?

1. Cancer – Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women, and women are more susceptible to the carcinogenic effect of tobacco as smokers and nonsmokers. Breast Cancer and
   Cervical Cancer are peculiar to women only and requires intensive and prolonged care
2. Autoimmune disease – Women are two to seven times more likely to develop an autoimmune disease, which often coexists with vascular and musculoskeletal problems. Lupus affects nine times as many women as men
3. Anaesthesia – Women wake sooner from anaesthesia, experience more nausea and respond to pain medications differently than men. The research is underway to explore different guidelines for administering anaesthesia to men and women respectively
4. Cardiovascular disease -Women are more likely to have less familiar symptoms of cardiovascular disease and be misdiagnosed upon assessment. Cardiovascular disease is the top cause of mortality in women (and men), yet men are treated more aggressively when they are admitted with suspected acute coronary artery disease
5. Gastroenterology – Gender plays a significant role in acid peptic and motility disease of the stomach. Women between ages 20 to 60 are three times more likely to develop gallstones than men
6. Menopause – Menopause can cause potential health problems related to most body systems that impact the quality of life
7. Musculoskeletal – Women are at significantly higher risk to develop osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Eighty percent of hip fractures occur in women. Women also are prone to different types of knee injuries than men
8. Neurological -Women are two to three times more likely to suffer from depression and twice as likely as men to have a sleeping disorder

So how are women taking on these costs?

Answer is through insurance policies. The above mentioned facts highlight that women need to understand their specific needs before investing in an insurance cover. In case you’re not aware, there are specific insurance plans catering to your specific medical and critical illness needs. HDFC, TATA AIG, Bajaj Allianz, LIC and few others offer some women oriented schemes. On product comparison, it’s conceived that Bajaj Allianz has the best critical illness package of all. It covers 8 critical illnesses which are likely to affect women the most in their lifetime. It covers the following illnesses:

1. Ovarian Cancer
2. Vaginal Cancer
3. Breast Cancer
4. Cervical Cancer
5. Uterine/Endometrial Cancer
6. Fallopian Tube Cancer
7. Burns
8. Paralysis / Multitrauma

That’s not all. The policy provides benefit in case of Congenital Disease / Disability at the time of delivery of a child. Children Education Allowance rider can also be opted. In the event of the insured person losing her job within a period of 3 months of the date of diagnosis of any of the Critical Illness as covered in the policy, the policy will pay an amount of Rs 25000/- towards loss of employment.

All women should take their health costs seriously and provide for sufficient medical coverage before its too late!

(No part of the article should be construed as recommendation or suggestion of an insurance product by the author. The readers should exercise due diligence and seek professional advice before buying any insurance coverage.)