Riders: These are additional benefits attached to the basic life insurance policy and are limited in size, relative to the base sum assured, and may have separate terms and conditions, possibly with additional exclusion clauses. Simply put, riders are options that allow you to enhance your insurance cover, qualitatively and quantitatively. Broadly, riders cover three aspects—critical illness, medical expenses and disability insurance. Different insurers might have different terms for these riders, but the categories covered are the same.