Now that you know you need a separate health insurance policy for yourself, you must choose a scheme appropriate for you.

Sandeep Shanbhag, Director of A N Shanbhag NR Group, a Mumbai based tax and investment advisory firm says it is a good idea to opt for general medical insurance. Today, such products offer cover for various health related problems including women specific ones.

Here are a couple of general medical insurance policies that you could choose from.

1. Insurance Provider: ICICI Lombard
   
   Schemes: Critical Care Insurance, 10k Tax Saver Plan, Family Floater Plan
   
   
2. Insurance Provider: Bajaj Allianz
   
   Schemes: Health Guard, Critical Illness
   
   
3. Insurance Provider: Tata AIG
   
   Schemes: Criticare

It is ideal to opt for a scheme that takes care of critical illness because this will insure cover for women related illnesses like breast cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer as well as other illnesses like coronary artery bypass surgery, first heart attack, kidney failure, multiple sclerosis, major organ transplant, stroke and paralysis.

The above schemes do not provide cover for maternity/ pregnancy expenses. The only insurance that would cover you for pregnancy is a group insurance that is provided by companies to their employees. However, you will need to find out whether your husband's company provides that kind of cover for you.

Family Floating Cover is Good

The entire family is covered under the insurance policy with the sum insured being available to each member. Therefore, if the sum assured is Rs.3 lakhs for you, your husband and your child, the Rs. 3 lakhs will be available to each member of the family instead of just Rs. 1 lakh for each person.

(With inputs from P V Subramanyam, a financial domain trainer and Sandeep Shanbhag, Director of A N Shanbhag NR Group)