IRDAI Issues Guidelines for Claims Reported Under Coronavirus

The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI) issued a circular on March 04, 2020, stating that all the health insurance providers in India need to come up with medical insurance policies to cover treatment and hospitalization costs for Coronavirus Infection COVID-19 that is impacting thousands of people around the globe.

IRDAI laid down the following norms for insurers handling coronavirus related health insurance claims:

• Health plans that cover hospitalization expenses shall ensure that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases are expeditiously handled
  • Compensation for admissible medical expenses on the treatment including the quarantine period shall be settled as per the terms and conditions mentioned in the policy contract and the extant regulatory framework.
  • All the health insurance claims related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) shall be reviewed thoroughly by the claims review committee before rejecting the claims.
• To cater to the need-based medical coverage, health insurance companies are introducing health plans for various specific diseases such as vector-borne diseases. Insurance companies are advised to design health insurance products to meet the specific health insurance requirements of and Corona Virus treatment cost
• IRDAI introduced instructions as per the provisions of Section 14 (2) (e) of IRDA Act, 1999 and shall be enforced with immediate effect.
• This has the approval of the competent authority.

Currently, more than six lakh people are being screened for coronavirus at nearly 21 airports in different countries. Screenings are also being conducted for the entrants at India's open borders with Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar.