Why you should have vaccination cover in your health insurance?

Did you know according to the WHO, vaccination averts 2 to 3 million deaths per year? Up to 29% of child deaths under the age of 5 years are preventable with proper vaccination. But some people are under the misconception that vaccines are expensive. While that they are, the expenses need not come out your pocket; all you need is a proper health insurance policy that covers it.

1. Prevention is better than cure: The best thing about vaccination is that it aims to prevent diseases before they could do any damage. It is the very basic step of healthy living and something so important for your health should definitely be a part of your health insurance plan.

2. Some things aren’t in your control: A lot of diseases such as HPV and Hepatitis B are highly contagious. For instance, all it takes for HPV to be transmitted is skin to skin contact. But both of these diseases are preventable and curable with vaccines and having vaccine cover in your health insurance can save you a lot of trouble.

**3. India is a hotbed of typhoid fever: ** According to a 2016 ECDC report, India is one of the most likely places to contract typhoid fever[1]. But thankfully, vaccines are available to prevent as well as cure typhoid, and with Tata AIG MediCare (UIN: TATHLIP18004V011819), there is no waiting period before you can avail the coverage. This means, you are covered for the vaccine right after getting the health insurance.

4. You get coverage over the sum insured: With Tata AIG MediCare (UIN: TATHLIP18004V011819), your vaccine cover won’t cut into your base sum insured since it has a separate limit. To add to the perk, it also doesn’t affect your cumulative bonus.

5. Inbuilt cover, not an add-on: Finally, if you want your vaccines covered under your policy, wouldn’t it be better if you don’t have to pay extra for the coverage? While other health insurance policies might require you to purchase a Vaccination Cover as an add-on, Tata AIG MediCare (UIN: TATHLIP18004V011819), understands the importance of immunisation and offers vaccination cover as a feature rather than an add-on.

What to keep in mind? With Tata AIG MediCare (UIN: TATHLIP18004V011819), anti-rabies and typhoid vaccines are covered right from the moment you invest in the health insurance, but HPV and Hepatitis B vaccine cover starts after 2 years of continuous coverage.

You can avoid the waiting period by getting the insurance as early as possible.

So, before you finalise your health insurance policy, make sure you check if it covers vaccinations.

Tata AIG MediCare (UIN: TATHLIP18004V011819) has vaccination cover as a part of its unique features. Along with this, you can make use of other great features like global cover for treatment outside of India, bariatric surgery to help you have a long and healthy life, maternity cover to protect the mother and baby!

The body must maintain a normal uric acid level because disturbing this balance can cause painful health ailments. And while you can rely on your comprehensive health insurance to take care of these medical contingencies, you must ideally ensure that your body is in its optimal condition.

The normal uric acid level for women is between 2.4 to 6.0 mg/dL, whereas for men, it is between 3.4-7.0 mg/dL. When your body goes over this, it can lead to a condition known as hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia can lead to gout – a disease that accumulates urate crystals in joints, causing much pain. It can also make your urine and blood too acidic.

There are several reasons why uric acid may collect in your blood, but some prominent ones are your diet, genetics, and being overweight. Certain health conditions can lead to high uric acid levels, such as:

• diabetes mellitus
• kidney disease
• some types of cancers or chemotherapy
• psoriasis
• hypothyroidism

If you suffer from any of the above, you can check with your insurance provider to see if your medical insurance plan includes the treatment for these ailments to be appropriately covered.

Now that we understand the reasons behind the increase in uric acid levels let’s take a look at how one can get uric acid treatment at home to normalise their uric acid levels. A word of caution: one must consult their doctor before exploring any uric acid remedy at home.

A sedentary lifestyle paired with poor dietary habits is what has led to an increase in diseases. And so, aside from having comprehensive health insurance, individuals must focus on maintaining an active lifestyle and ensuring they have a nutrient-rich diet. Considering this, let’s learn some tips to maintain your uric acid levels:

• Limit the Intake of Purine-Dense Foods

Perhaps the easiest uric acid cure is limiting the intake of foods with high levels of purines. These foods are usually certain kinds of meats, seafood, and some vegetables. Foods that fall under these categories give off uric acid when digested. And so, it is advisable to either avoid or reduce these foods from your diet:

• red meat
• organ meat
• fish
• shellfish
• poultry
• olegumes
• Vegetables such as cauliflower, green peas, mushrooms, etc.

By maintaining a nutritious diet, one can maintain the prescribed uric acid level in their body.

• Avoid Sugar

Although increased uric acid levels are primarily linked to high-protein diets, sugar intake is also known to play a decisive role. This is because fructose, which is the natural sugar found in honey and fruits, releases purines when digested, thereby increasing uric acid levels. You can limit the intake of sugar by:

• consuming whole foods
• avoiding processed and packaged foods
• controlling sugar cravings by opting for fresh fruit instead of sugary drinks or soda

Beverages comprising sugars are absorbed quicker when compared to whole foods, as the former does not contain protein, fibre, or other nutrients. According to research, this quicker absorption can not only spike your blood sugar but also lead to an increase in your uric acid. And so, if you don’t want to raise a claim against your medical insurance plan for inviting health ailments, you must avoid sugary beverages.

• **Avoid Alcohol **

Alcohol causes dehydration, and there is also research to support the belief that it increases uric acid levels. Therefore, another uric acid remedy is to limit the intake of alcohol and instead drink plenty of fluids to flush uric acid from your body.

• Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity may be a contributor to heightened uric acid levels. This is because uric acid production can increase with obesity. Being overweight can also decrease the excretion of uric acid via urine. However, crash and fad diets are not the way to lose weight. Instead, it is advisable to speak to a nutritionist and get the right diet plan to reach a healthy weight goal.

• **Infuse Your Diet with Fibre and Vitamin C **

Consuming fibrous foods can help lower uric acid levels, and it can also help maintain your blood sugar levels. Some fibre-rich foods include chickpeas, lentils, nuts, brown rice, spinach, broccoli, apples, etc. Another uric acid cure is to increase vitamin C intake as it can help lower the level of uric acid. Before taking this step, however, it is advised to speak to your doctor. Vitamin C can be included in your diet through fruits and vegetables such as oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, broccoli, red and green peppers, etc.

• Check Your Supplements and Medication

If you take some medications or supplements, you need to check if they can spike your uric acid levels. Some medicines that can cause a build-up of uric acid are:

• vitamin B-3 (niacin)
• diuretics
• aspirin
• ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and other blood pressure medications
• drugs like cyclosporine and tacrolimus that are immune-suppressing
• pyrazinamide, used in the treatment of tuberculosis
• levodopa, used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease

If you have been prescribed any of these medications and you have hyperuricemia, then you can speak to your doctor for alternate medications.

Uric acid treatment at home can be done by maintaining a healthy lifestyle with the right diet and staying active. These simple measures can help improve gout and other ailments that accompany high uric acid levels.

However, it is also advised to speak to your health insurance provider concerning your specific health ailments, so you are appropriately covered. The benefits of health insurance extend beyond financial assistance to provide the insured member peace of mind for a speedy recovery. The comprehensive medical insurance plan by Tata AIG can be customised to meet your specific healthcare requirements, so you need not worry about finances in distressing times.