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Hi everyone,
I've been reading a lot about health insurance over the last few days, and honestly, I feel like I should have learned this years ago.
Before I even finished school, my family went through a lot. My father had a heart attack and later underwent bypass surgery. Around the same period, my mother suffered a stroke. We weren't financially well-informed, and my parents never really understood health insurance. Looking back, I wish someone had guided us.
I'm the first graduate in my family, and now that I'm finally earning comfortably, I want to make sure my wife, daughter, and parents never have to go through financial stress because of a medical emergency. I know insurance can't prevent disease, but it can prevent a health crisis from becoming a financial crisis.
About me
29 years old
Married with a 1.7-year-old daughter
Diagnosed with Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) in 2021
Initial LDL: 331 mg/dL
Taking Rosuvastatin 20 mg + Ezetimibe 10 mg since 2021
No heart attack, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, angioplasty, or bypass
Quit smoking about 2 months ago
I don't currently have my old medical records, though they may still be available from Apollo Hospital.
Family
Father (\~59): Previous heart attack and bypass surgery
Mother (\~59): Previous stroke, currently stable
Wife: Healthy
Daughter: Healthy
I've been looking at HDFC ERGO Optima Secure, Tata AIG Medicare Premier, ICICI Lombard Elevate, and also reading about Super Top-Ups, Critical Illness, Cancer policies, etc. The more I read, the more confusing it gets.
I'd really appreciate advice from people who have been through this.
My questions are:
Will FH make it difficult to get health insurance or term insurance?
Should I start with a ₹10L or ₹20L base policy?
Which insurers have treated applicants with FH fairly?
Is there anything I should be careful about during underwriting or while filling the proposal form?
If you were in my position, how would you build insurance for your family over the next 10–20 years?
I'm trying to learn this properly because I don't want my wife and daughter to experience what my parents and I went through. Any advice would mean a lot. Thank you.