Regular Medical Insurance Cannot be Replaced with Coronavirus Health Insurance

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, health insurance companies in India have launched Coronavirus specific health insurance plans. The way COVID-19 has been permeating it seems more essential to get COVID-19 health insurance cover.

Some of the popular health insurers offering Coronavirus specific health plans are Religare health insurance, Star health insurance, Digit health insurance etc. But these plans are designed to cover COVID-19 patients only. On the other hand, your basic medical insurance policy is designed to cover all the medical treatments requiring hospitalization including COVID-19.

Both the health insurance schemes serve different purposes and are designed to cater to a different set of customers. Here we will discuss what should you be doing to ensure appropriate health insurance cover during these trying times amid the coronavirus pandemic.

What is a Coronavirus Specific Health Plan?

A coronavirus health insurance plan is an indemnity plan that is designed to cover coronavirus related expenses including hospitalization, quarantine expenses in a registered centre up to the sum insured limit. It does not cover other hospitalization expenses. The coverage amount is limited to cover the coronavirus treatment cost only.

Coronavirus health plans cover the following expenses:

• The coverage amount for COVID-19 medical plans ranges INR 20,000 to INR 2 lacs
• Coronavirus health insurance premium ranges from INR 200 to INR 3500
• The policy is not renewable and is valid only for one year
• Indian residents can buy this policy, however, the benefits, and clauses regarding age criterion, travel history will be policy specific only

The purpose of specifically designed health plans is to offer a quick solution to people with no health coverage who are seeking protection against Coronavirus.

How is a Regular Health Plan different from COVID-19 Health Insurance Policy?

Due to the increasing cost of hospitalization and medical treatment it is recommended to have at least a health cover of minimum Rs 10 lakh. There are health plans offering sum insured up to Rs 1 Crore. It is essential to have appropriate health cover to avail the best possible treatment without financial worries.  Following are the benefits that an insured person can avail with a regular health plan:

• Pre-hospitalization Expenses- The insurer pays-off the medical expenses that are incurred before the patient is admitted to the hospital. It includes expenses incurred on blood and urine tests, CT scan, sonography etc.
• In-patient Hospitalization- The expenses that are incurred during hospitalization are also covered. It is only applicable for hospitalization of more than 24 hours.
• Post-hospitalization Expenses- The insurer also recompenses the medical expenses incurred on medical tests, medicines etc., after the discharge of patient form the hospital.
• Ambulance Charges- Emergency ambulance charges are covered by mostly all the family medical insurance plans. The limit, however, may vary from one insurer to another.
• Daily Cash Allowance- There are certain plans that provide compensation for the expenses incurred on transportation, food etc.
• Day Care Treatment- Some policies also cover expenses incurred on day care treatments like varicose veins, cataracts operations etc.
  • Optional/Add-on Covers- Critical illness cover, personal accident cover, education allowance, OPD expenses, and international treatment cover
  • Lifetime Renewability- Most of the of the regular health plans unlike COVID-19 plans offer an option to the renew policy for a lifetime
  • Cashless Treatment- The policyholder and the insured members can avail treatment in a network hospital
  • Family Floater plans- Family floater plans can cover the entire family under a single plan

In addition to the above benefits, you can also file a claim for Coronavirus treatment as per your policy wordings. All the health insurance companies are providing COVID-19 cover as per the IRDAI recommendations and you do not need to buy a standalone policy. However, it is sensible to check with your health insurance provider for the same, and if your current health plan does not cover it, then you can buy a supplementary coronavirus health plan.

Takeaway

While a COVID 19 health insurance policy is recommended as a bonus to your basic medical insurance. You cannot replace it with your regular medical insurance policy if you want to save yourself and your loved ones from any financial crunch during medical emergencies.

Disclaimer : *Policybazaar does not endorse, rate or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by an insurer.