Does Health Insurance Cover Multiple Sclerosis in India?

Since we are here to talk about Sclerosis which is considered a critical illness, let us tell you what it actually is?

So, What Is Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disease that is autoimmune and progressive. It affects the central nervous system of the body that is the spinal cord and brain. Nerve fibers in multiple sclerosis are protected by the Myelin that is a protective layer of fatty tissues.

The immune system in the body attacks the myelin that affects the nerve cells and cause inflammation and form scar tissues that are called sclerosis. This eventually affects the connection between the brain and body that can eventually deteriorate nerves and damages them.

From The Desk Of A Doctor

As per Doctor Chandra who is a senior consultant, Neurology in Apollo hospital, “The body’s immune system attacks its own tissue in the auto-immune disorder. This increases the chances of relapse even if it has been treated.

Why Is It Important To Opt For Critical Illness Plan?

Well, purchasing a basic health insurance policy would not provide cover for a critical illness like Sclerosis. It disease stays for a long period of time and takes multiple sessions of treatment to recover. That is why it is recommended to purchase a critical illness plan that provides cover for Multiple Sclerosis.

A critical illness plan is an indemnity plan. It provides much more financial support to the policyholder as it covers multiple critical diseases. It not only provides cover for expenses in a hospital but also treatment expenses, pre and post-hospitalization, ambulance charges, etc.

In order to live a healthy and risk-free life, it is important to have a health insurance policy. Witnessing the inflation in medical facilities every year, you have to purchase suitable health insurance that can provide you financial aid on your hefty treatment and medical bills.

Also, you can avail of the benefits of a no claim bonus. No claim bonus is a feature in an insurance policy that provides an increased sum insured amount at the same premium rate for not raising a claim in a year. The benefits may vary from insurer to insurer.

Case Scenario

There was a case back in 2003 of a 35 years old woman. She suffered a loss of vision in the left eye that was temporary. After some time the right eye was also affected. After the treatment, there was a partial eyesight recovery.

Doctor Chandra also added that there are several other symptoms like weakness in the legs. There was another case in 2019 in which the woman was not able to stand and go to the washroom by herself. She suffered multiple sclerosis and now requires support to walk around.

Why Purchase Critical Illness Plan Even If You Have Indemnity Plan?

It is unlike the indemnity health insurance plans. the lump sum SI is paid after the diagnosis of the disease. It just has to be listed on the critical illness plan covers. Since the doctor will not directly call the patient to the operation theatre and starts operating, but prior recommend some tests and a certain line of treatments, the insurance plan will provide the monetary benefit that can be used to pay for the treatment.

This is why it is important to purchase a critical illness plan with a basic insurance plan. It will provide you financial aid for many critical illnesses and cover expenses like ambulance charges, day-care treatments, ICU charges, etc. The critical illness plan will offer a lump sum monetary benefit in one single transaction for the first time policyholder gets diagnosed or as per the medical practitioner's advice.

Conclusion

Multiple Sclerosis is becoming common among females and it is one of the major critical illnesses considered among females between 20-50 years of age. Since this disease can damage any part of the body and early detection can still save the person to keep their affected body part from permanent damage.

However, it requires a long treatment that can put a big hole in your pocket, purchasing a critical health insurance plan can save you a fortune. It is also recommended to purchase insurance online so that you can avail of different kinds of discounts available online and calculate the premium amount. It is cost-effective and the agent’s fee is excluded.