Most Health Insurance companies promise a life filled with medical security and free of never-ending hospital bills. Few can actually deliver on that promise. More often than not, health insurance companies use loop-holes in their contracts to save money rather than save lives. Here are a few things you should know before choosing your health insurer:

Time Limit on the Policy

Some insurance companies have a strict policy on how they dish out their medical cover. APA Insurance, for instance, gives a waiting period of 30 days before the cover can be accessed. Exceptions are only made in cases involving accidents. This means that if you get sick within the first 30 days of subscription, the insurer has no obligation to cover your medical expenses. These limits may vary based on the type of health insurance policy as well as the company you choose.

Age Restrictions

APA’s basic health insurance has no cover for applicants above the age of 58. On the other hand, UAP Insurance subscribers can only apply between the ages of 2 months and 60 years. Existing policy holders can hold on to their cover until they turn 70. This means that children below the age of 2 months and adults above the age of 70 years are not eligible for health insurance. Jubilee Insurance policies only apply to individuals between the ages of 3 months and 60 years. This may seem fair enough considering the average Kenyan’s life expectancy is about 63 years.

Limited/ No International Cover

APA caters for insurance outside the country for up to 2 weeks while Heritage's basic cover offers a maximum of 60 days per trip. If you were hurt anytime beyond these limits, you would be forced to pay for the damages yourself. UAP restricts its insured medical referrals to India and South Africa. This gives the patient a relatively small variety of options when consulting doctors with regard to serious medical conditions.

Limited Medical Services

Some companies, including Heritage Insurance do not offer dentistry, chronic medicine and optical medical covers. This often applies to standard insurance packages. Comprehensive covers may cater for such needs. Others like Jubilee Insurance, however, offer dentistry, chronic medicine as well as maternity and optical medical covers in some of their more basic packages.

High Cost for Comprehensive Cover

The cost of full a full medical cover is often high, given the fact that almost half the population lives on less than a dollar a day. A comprehensive cover from UAP costs KES 2 million while Heritage Insurance has an overall limit of KES 200 million. According to a report by APA Insurance, this is the reason why only 3% of Kenyans have applied for at least one type of private insurance (NSSF notwithstanding).

In spite of their high prices and seemingly limited security options, health insurance companies offer a service that few others can match. Where else can you get legitimate medical cover if not from the service providers themselves? When it comes down to it. Insurance is a business, is it not?