So, portability of health insurance policies is round the corner. From July 1, disgruntled consumers will be able to change insurers seamlessly. Is that good news? Surely, it is, but only for those of you who do have health cover. And, there are not too many out there. Barely five per cent of the population has health insurance. Probability suggests that you could just be one of those watching from the sidelines. Is that wise? Not really. Ailments that appeared late in life are showing up at a younger age. Lifestyle changes are impacting health. Increasing global travel is making the population more vulnerable to diseases that surface elsewhere. On top of this, medical inflation continues unabated.
A few days of hospitalisation could create a serious dent in your finances. It does get worrisome when the chief of a large public sector insurer says he has seen many well-to-do families slip below the poverty line while dishing out medical treatment costs. Well, a lot has been written on health insurance between the time we planned this issue a month ago, and now. Such is its importance. Our cover package on the subject tries to provide you that extra bit, hoping that it might work as a wake-up nudge, just in case you are still out of the loop.
We also look at how various mutual fund options fare against the traditional savings products offered by banks. There is also a section on how to take exposure to global markets through mutual fund offerings.
On equities, we give you the lowdown on how to look at rate-sensitive stocks after one more round of hikes in key policy rates by the Reserve Bank of India recently. And, as crude breaches the $100 mark, we tell you how to view the energy commodities pack.
In our next issue, we will bring you an in-depth analysis of how the union budget announcements will impact your personal finances and the financial markets in general.
Until then…
