Employer Health Insurance: Is It Enough?

What group cover usually gives you

Employer group policies often start immediately, may cover pre-existing conditions from day one, and sometimes include dependants. Those are meaningful advantages.

Where the structural limits sit

• The policy belongs to the employer, not to you. Terms can change at renewal.
• Cover usually ends when your employment ends — often at the moment you most need continuity.
• The group sum insured may be modest relative to private-hospital costs.
• Co-payment or room-rent conditions may apply to certain categories of employees or dependants.

Why a personal policy is often held alongside

A personal policy stays with you across jobs, and its waiting periods keep running in the background. Buying one only after group cover ends means starting fresh waiting periods at an older age.

Before you decide

Read your employer policy summary and note the sum insured, room-rent condition, co-payment and dependant coverage. Those four items tell you most of what you need to know.