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What is Sub Limit in Health Insurance & It’s Meaning Explained with an Example
Who doesn’t feel excited at the idea of paying lower premiums for health insurance? It’s an irresistible deal, right? But have you ever paused to understand the fine print behind such affordability? 🤔
One of the key reasons for these low premiums is the presence of sub-limits in health insurance policies. While the sub-limit can help keep your policy cost-effective, it could also lead to unexpected out-of-pocket expenses.
Let’s understand the meaning of sub-limits, their types, and how they impact your health insurance coverage.
Table of Contents
What are Sub-limits in Health Insurance?
A sub-limit is a predetermined monetary cap that is placed on your claim amount by the insurer. However, it is important to note that the sub-limit in health insurance won’t be applicable to the entire bill amount, but rather to certain conditions. These limits can be placed on hospital room rent, treatment of certain diseases, ambulance charges, and more.
This sub-limit may sometimes be calculated as a percentage of your sum insured. Confused? Let’s understand with a simple example!
Understanding Sub Limit in Health Insurance with Example
Let's use an example to clarify what sub-limit means. Miss Ayushi has a health insurance policy of 10 lakh sum insured which includes 1% sub-limit on ICU room expenses. This implies that her insurance will only cover INR 10,000 for ICU room expenses.
Due to a minor accident, miss ayushi was shifted to ICU for surgery and operation. She stayed for 3 days in the ICU room which costed INR 4000 per day. The total cost of her stay for 3 days in ICU was INR 12000 which means, due to her sub-limit, she has to pay some amount out of her pocket.
See this table for a better understanding:
Total Sum Insured on Miss ayushi's Policy |
INR 10 Lakh |
Sub-limit on ICU room expense |
1% of 10 Lakh = 10,000 |
Cost of ICU room charge |
4000 per day |
Total cost of ICU room for 3 days |
4000x3 = 12,000 |
ICU expenses paid by insurer |
10,000 🙂 |
Expenses Miss Ayushi has to pay out of her pocket due to Sub-limit |
2,000 🙁 |
Why are Sub-Limits Important in Health Insurance?
Not all health insurance policies apply any sub-limits, and some insurance providers offer the option of opting out of this clause. But before opting out, you must know the importance of having a sub-limit in your health insurance policy. Here are some:
- Provides a clear guide on how much you can claim for a particular expense.
- Reduces the chances of fraud and inflated medical bill claims.
- Policies with sub-limits often have lower premiums, which makes them cost-effective.
- It helps to distribute the financial risk between the insurer as well as the insurance team.
- Helps policyholders (you) plan expenses and avoid surprises during claim settlement.
What are the Different Types of Sub Limits in Health Insurance Plans?
There are various types of sub-limits in health insurance. Let’s take a look at them so that choosing an insurance policy will be simpler for you:
Sub-Limit on Room Rent
When it comes to room rent, your insurer will usually cover the room rent per day, but only up to a certain limit. This amount is usually between 1–2% of the sum insured in health insurance or some other fixed amount of money.
For example, if your room rent cap (sub-limit) is ₹4,000 per day, and you opt for a room that is ₹6,000 per day, you will have to pay the difference of ₹2,000 out of pocket.
Additionally, some insurers will also place limits on the type of room, such as covering only general wards or semi-private rooms.
Sub-Limit on Specific Treatment or Diseases
Sub-limits also often apply to specific treatments or diseases, especially those that are very common and pre-planned procedures, such as kidney stones, cataracts, piles, gallstones, hernias, tonsils, sinus, etc. Under the sub-limit clause, your insurer will only bear a certain percentage of the bill for these treatments.
For example, if your sum insured is ₹15 lakhs, but your policy has a sub-limit clause of 50% for the treatment of cancer, you cannot claim more than ₹7.5 lakhs for this treatment.
Sub-Limit on Pre or Post-Hospitalization
Some health insurance providers also include sub-limits for pre and post-hospitalization expenses.
If your policy covers pre-hospitalization expenses (ex. for diagnostic tests), and post-hospitalization expenses (ex: Medications, therapies, or tests during recovery), these may also be subject to a sub-limit.
Sub-Limit on Network Hospital
There may be sub-limits for treatments received in-network hospitals, and certain insurance companies may have unique agreements with the hospitals. Even while that occasionally leads to cashless care, one must nevertheless be aware that the number of claims that can be filed outside the network hospital can be limited.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Sub Limits in Insurance Policy
While sub-limits help insurers manage costs and keep premiums affordable, they can also limit the benefits you receive during claims. Understanding their advantages and disadvantages is crucial to choosing the right policy:
How Sub-Limits Impact Health Insurance Claims?
As we have seen above, when there is a sub-limit, the final claim amount is reduced. For things like hospital room rent, treatments of certain diseases, or post-hospitalization charges, you can only make a claim for the amount set out by the sub-limit clause, and beyond that, you need to pay out of your own pocket.
Thus, even though you might have a high sum insured, you may not be able to claim for all of your hospitalization or treatment expenses due to these sub-limit clauses.
Remember to go over these sub-limit clauses carefully to avoid any last-minute confusion during the stressful time of hospitalization or while filing a claim. This way you can ensure that you enjoy a hassle-free claims process.
How to Avoid Sub-limits in Health Insurance?
The best course of action to prevent or avoid sub-limits in your health insurance policy is by reading your policy document thoroughly before purchasing.
However, here are some more ways of how you can prevent sub-limit in your policy:
What if Sub-Limits Are Mandatory?
While you can shop around for policies that don’t offer sub-limits, these will often have higher premiums. Since the insurance company decides sub-limits, if you choose a policy that has these clauses, you will not be able to change the amounts.
Thus, before you buy a policy, thoroughly understand the sub-limits mentioned in the policy documents and check the other important factors, like inclusions, exclusions, deductibles, and co-payments. If you feel that the coverage offered in the policy falls short of your specific requirements or costs for healthcare, you can increase your sum insured, or even opt for a different insurer.
Differences Between Sub-limits and Deductibles
Many of you might get confused between sub-limit and deductible. When to pay, how to pay, if they work the same way, and what the payment procedure is are some of the questions people get confused with.
Well, here is the chart to help you understand the difference between sub-limits and deductibles in health insurance and clear up all your doubts:
Sub-limits in health insurance can be a double-edged sword. While they help make policies more affordable and provide structured coverage, they can also lead to financial surprises during claims if not understood properly.
Remember, a health insurance policy is not just about lower premiums; it’s about ensuring peace of mind during medical emergencies. Make an informed decision and opt for a plan that safeguards your health without compromise.