Decision Maker: Subhash Chandra Khuntia, Chairman IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India)
Why is this important?
India is battling the second wave of Covid, resulting in a shortage of beds, oxygen, and medicines forcing the hospitals to turn patients away.
Unfortunately, this has pushed the patients to turn to medical treatment at home with whatever private help they can get but sometimes at highly inflated prices. The treatment usually involves a home quarantine package from the hospital with an online consultation.
Health insurance is a safety net for ourselves and our families. And health insurance is a hope that it would help us financially during medical emergencies. But this is not the case in the current situation.
Most existing mediclaim/indemnity type health insurance policies do not cover standalone domiciliary hospitalization, i.e., medical treatment at home. Some policies cover pre and post-hospitalization home care, but to claim this, hospitalization is mandatory for a specified time period – usually 24 hours.
Consequently, patients who take medical treatment at home due to scarcity of hospital resources will not be able to claim insurance reimbursement.Medicines, oxygen, and ventilators are bought through private suppliers. Not only do patients have to run from pillar to post and pay highly inflated prices for the medical resources in short supply, but their health insurance will also not pay for these in most cases.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) last year clarified that the illness due to coronavirus infection is duly covered under standard comprehensive indemnity/mediclaim type health plans. However, the problem is that the policy is applicable after the minimum hospitalization requirement, which is often for 24 hours. In cases of home treatment due to the unavailability of hospital beds, patients are unable to meet this criterion to claim reimbursement from their insurers.
Technically speaking, the condition of 24 hours of hospitalization presumes that hospital beds would be available on-demand, which is not the case in the current pandemic.
The insurance industry should consider the current situation and reduce the financial stress faced by the policyholders who are unable to claim medical insurance.
Sign the petition. Demand Subhash Chandra Khuntia, Chairman IRDAI , to reimburse domiciliary (at home ) treatments for covid cases.
Decision Maker: Subhash Chandra Khuntia, Chairman IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India)
Why is this important?
India is battling the second wave of Covid, resulting in a shortage of beds, oxygen, and medicines forcing the hospitals to turn patients away.
Unfortunately, this has pushed the patients to turn to medical treatment at home with whatever private help they can get but sometimes at highly inflated prices. The treatment usually involves a home quarantine package from the hospital with an online consultation.
Health insurance is a safety net for ourselves and our families. And health insurance is a hope that it would help us financially during medical emergencies. But this is not the case in the current situation.
Most existing mediclaim/indemnity type health insurance policies do not cover standalone domiciliary hospitalization, i.e., medical treatment at home. Some policies cover pre and post-hospitalization home care, but to claim this, hospitalization is mandatory for a specified time period – usually 24 hours.
Consequently, patients who take medical treatment at home due to scarcity of hospital resources will not be able to claim insurance reimbursement.Medicines, oxygen, and ventilators are bought through private suppliers. Not only do patients have to run from pillar to post and pay highly inflated prices for the medical resources in short supply, but their health insurance will also not pay for these in most cases.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) last year clarified that the illness due to coronavirus infection is duly covered under standard comprehensive indemnity/mediclaim type health plans. However, the problem is that the policy is applicable after the minimum hospitalization requirement, which is often for 24 hours. In cases of home treatment due to the unavailability of hospital beds, patients are unable to meet this criterion to claim reimbursement from their insurers.
Technically speaking, the condition of 24 hours of hospitalization presumes that hospital beds would be available on-demand, which is not the case in the current pandemic.
The insurance industry should consider the current situation and reduce the financial stress faced by the policyholders who are unable to claim medical insurance.
Sign the petition. Demand Subhash Chandra Khuntia, Chairman IRDAI , to reimburse domiciliary (at home ) treatments for covid cases.
Thank you for signing this campaign and asking to reimburse domiciliary (at home ) treatments for covid cases.
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Thank you,
The Jhatkaa.org team.