Readers' Corner: General Insurance

Rakesh Jain, CEO, Reliance General Insurance, answers your questions

If I have not been hospitalised for any major illness but have a family history of cancer or heart disease, will I be able to buy a health insurance or a critical illness policy?

Family history is an underwriting factor for assessing the health risk but not the only one. If you are not suffering from any major disease or having any symptoms thereof, then based on the internal underwriting parameters of the respective companies, you may get a health cover.

If I change jobs, can I continue with my employer's health insurance policy? I am willing to pay the premium. I like the features of this policy, as it covers a lot more diseases than others in the market.

Once you leave a company, the employer usually does not cover you under its policy. However, you can approach the insurer of the group policy under portability and take any of their retail plans, based on the insurer's underwriting norms . This would at least ensure you get appropriate credits for the waiting periods.

Recently, I bought a dachshund and am thinking of buying insurance for it. Will it cover illness like rabies and vaccinations? Will it cover death of the pet?

Generally, dog insurance covers death due to accident or illness. Dogs of indigenous origin, cross-bred and exotic breeds can be insured. The valuation has to be done by a qualified veterinary doctor at the time of proposing the insurance.

The views expressed are expert's own. Send your queries to yourmoney@bsmail.in