The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be an eye-opener for most of us who never believed in buying a Health insurance plan. It taught us that health emergencies need financial funds, which may drain out your savings and income. However, if you are smart enough and buy a health insurance plan on time, you can concentrate only on your treatment without worrying about the financial burden of the treatment.
So, you now know why buy a health insurance policy? Now, comes the question of whether to buy a health insurance policy online or offline? Which is better among the two online vs. offline health insurance plans? Worry not, we are here to help you make a call on this important question regarding a health insurance purchase.
Benefits of Buying a Health Insurance Plan Online
Check out the advantages of buying an online health insurance plan:
- Time-Saving and Convenient: Buying an online health insurance plan is a time-saving and convenient option. You save time that otherwise will go wasted in visiting an insurance provider.
- No Paperwork: No need to submit any documents when purchasing an online health insurance policy. You can simply scan your documents and upload or download them whenever or wherever required.
- Huge Discounts: Apart from saving on the insurance agent fee, an online health insurance plan usually comes with huge discounts on the premium amount as compared to offline plans.
- Easy Comparisons and Better Transparency: On the online platform, there is better transparency while comparing different health insurance plans.
Benefits of Buying a Health Insurance Plan Offline
Here are some advantages of buying an offline health insurance plan over an online health plan:
- Apt for Non-Tech Savvy People: Offline health insurance plan is just perfect for those non-tech savvy people who have no access to the internet, and are not aware of how to do such things online.
- Proper Individual Guidance: You can get proper individual guidance from an agent, who will understand your health needs to advise you on the right kind of health plan.
- No Risk of Cyber Fraud: Another advantage of offline health insurance vs online health insurance is there is no risk of cyber fraud in an offline health plan purchase.
- No Waiting for Executives for Customer Support: Buying an offline health insurance plan means the freedom to talk to your insurance agent directly to resolve a query or get some up-gradation in the plan.
What is the Difference Between Buying an Online vs. Offline Health Insurance Plan?
| Different Parameters | Online Health Insurance Plan | Offline Health Insurance Plan |
| Convenience | Hassle-free convenience to compare, and buy the health insurance policy from any place and at any time | Proper planning required to visit the nearest branch of the insurance company after taking an appointment with the insurance agent |
| Plan Comparisons | Best opportunity to compare different health insurance plans online | No scope of comparing different health insurance policies. You can only rely on the feedback or suggestions of the insurance agent |
| Level of Paperwork | Almost no or zero paperwork required to buy a health insurance plan online | A lot of paperwork is required to buy a health insurance plan offline |
| Time Factor | Buying a health insurance plan online is a matter of a few clicks and a few minutes using the power of Internet | Buying a health insurance plan offline will take a few weeks for your policy to get issued and reach you |
| Premium Amount or Pricing | Buying an online health insurance plan is usually cheaper | Buying an offline health insurance plan is more expensive as the insurance agent might also ask for a commission |
| Client Review | There is freedom to read client review about a policy and insurance company for an informed purchasing decision | No access to the client review or feedback about the insurance company or its policies |
| Transparency | Easy access to account with the help of the internet to check the policy status, claim settlement ratio, and premium date | Limited transparency, you have to trust the insurance agent blindly to receive the details of the policy |
| Renewal | It is very easy and convenient to renew a health insurance plan by visiting the website of the insurer online | To renew an offline health insurance plan, you need to tie up with the insurance agent or visit the insurance company branch |
| Flexibility | More flexibility to choose or change a plan | Limited flexibility to choose or change a plan |
Conclusion
So, which is better, buying an online health insurance plan or buying an offline health insurance plan? If you have paid attention to the differences between the two in the above table, things must be clear by now. Why waste time, money, and effort that too for a not-so-sure-shot offline health plan? Why not opt for a more convenient, reliable, and with zero paperwork online health insurance plan? For more information about online health insurance plans, visit Paybima, an online portal backed by Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd. You will get to compare and buy the best health insurance plans at PayBima with utmost ease.