While most readers are bound to be familiar with the life insurance covers, very few would have heard of the personal accident cover. Personal accident schemes cover the policyholder against death or disability due to an accident. All general insurance companies offer these policies, but it’s very unlikely that an agent will try to sell you one. These low-priced policies are not very popular because the brokers and agent earns almost nothing as commission from selling such a policy, so they don’t bother introducing to customers.
However, you should buy a personal accident policy because it plugs an important hole in your insurance portfolio. Firstly, it will provide financial support to the policyholder if he is disabled after an accident.
Secondly, the magnitude of the mishap doesn’t matter; even minor ones like falling off a bicycle and breaking an arm, or fracturing a leg while playing football are covered by the policy. If you thought term insurance policies were cheap, wait till you find out about the premium rates of a personal accident policy.
“Since agents get very low commissions, they usually try to bundle the personal accident cover with some other insurance product. However, this doesn’t mean that you will pay a lower premium, though some companies may give you a discount,” says Sanjay Datta, head of underwriting and claims, Lombard General Insurance. A basic personal accident cover against death and permanent total disability is already built into a motor insurance policy. You can enhance the cover by paying extra.
Private insurance companies offer a higher cover and a wider range of benefits, but the premium rates are higher too. You can take a cover of up to 8 times your annual salary. Apart from the basic death and permanent disability cover, you can buy additional protection against partial and temporary disability, even loss of livelihood. “A personal accident policy covers the buyer against costs that can shatter him financially,” says Subrahmanyam B, senior vice-president, health & commercial lines, General Insurance.
Understand terms & conditions: It’s important to understand the terms and conditions clearly before you buy a policy. For example, hospitalisation benefit can be availed of only if the policyholder is admitted within seven days of the accident and is hospitalised for at least 24 hours. A fractured leg is a temporary disability, and if you have taken a cover against it, your policy will pay a weekly sum for up to two years. However, this weekly cash benefit is paid only if you are unable to go to work and the payment starts only 60 days after the accident. One also has to submit proof, including a doctor’s certificate for the disability that prevents one from attending work.
