Health insurance should be an integral part of the very foundation of your financial planning -- the importance of this core principle has never been as evident as it has become over the last one year. It all started with a small virus of less than 140 nanometers^[1] which wreaked havoc across the entire world infecting almost 110 million people and killing almost 2.5 million of them until recently^[2]. Only in India, the COVID-19 virus infected almost 11 million people^[3], second only to the US.

Millions of people had to be hospitalised, isolated from their loved ones. The trauma of segregation was made worse by the huge cost of treatment, averaging around Rs 3-3.5 lakh for 14-day hospitalisation^[4]. Of those who were hospitalised, less than four per cent had insurance, which meant that for the other 96 per cent the huge treatment cost had to be paid from their pockets^[5]. Such a sudden expense is certainly a setback for most people. There is no doubt that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought about a realisation that a backup plan is of utmost importance and having health insurance is the very first step in that direction.