Section 80D – Deduction for Medical Insurance

Section 80D offers deductions, which comprise tax saving benefits against costs incurred towards health and critical illness insurance. Under Section 80D, you can avail income tax saving benefits against healthcare-related expenses and payment of medical insurance premium for self, spouse, children and senior citizen parents.

Section 80D also covers payment made for preventive health check-ups, critical illness (CI) and other health-related riders provided under a life insurance policy.

The premiums paid towards health insurance policies for senior citizens (those ageing 60 years and above) are usually on the higher side due to several factors including age and increased affinity for health issues. At the same time, insurers may also be reluctant to provide health insurance coverage to ageing individuals and those who have any pre-existing ailments.

In 2018, the Union Budget brought some relief for senior citizens under Section 80D, who incur significant medical expenses but are unable to purchase health insurance. Possible reasons for this may include any pre-existing health conditions or an inability to afford the high premiums.

Under the Budget 2018, Section 80D was amended to allow a tax deduction for medical expenditure for senior citizens.

This deduction can be either claimed by the individual (senior citizen) themselves or by their children on the medical bills.

To claim deduction on medical bills, the medical expenses must be incurred on the family members who are aged 60 years and above. Also, the individual for whom medical expenditure has been incurred, and subsequently deduction under Section 80D, must not be covered under any health insurance plan.

Both individuals and HUF (Hindu Undivided Family) can claim deduction under Section 80D. However, the deduction limit under Section 80D is not definitive as that offered under Section 80C.

Instead, the deduction offered under Section 80D of the Act is flexible and allows you to include your family members, including your parents. The benefits of Section 80D deduction can help cover up to three generations of family members.

If you are an individual who has incurred the medical expense, you can claim Section 80D deduction. Thus, if you are a senior citizen and do not have any health insurance policy coverage, then you are eligible to claim income tax saving deduction yourself.

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On the other hand, you can claim the deduction if you have incurred medical expenditure for your parents ageing 60 years and above in a given financial year.

If you can plan your investment well in advance, you can include your parents into this insurance fold, especially if they do not qualify for health insurance coverage or the premium payable is significantly high.

The payment of premiums for any health insurance plan or medical expenditure will be possible through different methods (except for cash). Thus, you can choose from different banking channels such as net-banking, debit card and cheque.

You can also opt for any digital channels such as UPI and mobile wallets to pay the premium.

Payments made in cash against any medical expenditure (other than for preventive health check-up), is not eligible for this income tax saving benefit.

Moreover, the maximum deduction that you can claim against medical expenses incurred under section 80D is the same as the maximum deduction claimable for the health insurance premium. In other words, you can request a maximum deduction of Rs 1 lakh in a given financial year for the expenses incurred.

Medical emergencies can come unannounced in your life. The financial impact of medical emergencies, for example, a few days of hospitalization due to dengue, can end up being significantly large.

That being said, life-threatening ailments such as cardiac conditions and cancer can easily cost you several lakhs of rupees.

In the absence of health insurance coverage, you may have to pay for the expenses straight from your pocket. Health insurance plans from Max Life Insurance can help you strengthen your family’s health while availing significant tax saving benefits under Section 80D. You can pay for any unexpected accidents with your health insurance while availing considerable tax saving benefits under Section 80D