What are Pre & Post Hospitalization Expenses in Health Insurance?

What are Pre-hospitalization Expenses in Health Insurance?

Pre-hospitalization expenses refer to the medical expenses that you incur before getting admitted to a hospital. They include expenses incurred on diagnostic tests, such as blood tests, X-rays, urine tests, CT-scan, ECG, MRI, etc., conducted to diagnose a disease or medical condition.

When you are unwell, you may visit a doctor and get the suggested diagnostic tests and scans done. These tests and scans help the doctor to diagnose the medical condition based on which you may be asked to get hospitalized. If you get admitted to a hospital, the money spent on these tests and scans will be considered as pre-hospitalization expenses.

Most health insurance plans cover pre-hospitalization expenses for up to 30 days before getting admitted to a hospital. However, some plans may also offer pre-hospitalization cover for up to 60 days.

What are Post-hospitalization Expenses in Health Insurance?

Post-hospitalization expenses refer to the medical expenses that you incur after getting discharged from a hospital. They consist of expenses incurred on medicines, follow-up treatments, doctor consultations, diagnostic tests, physiotherapy, etc. required for post-discharge recovery. 

Once you are discharged from the hospital, you may need to take proper care at home to ensure a full recovery. To do so, doctors may advise you to take specific treatments & therapies and continue your medicines. You may also be asked to undergo follow-up tests & scans and visit the doctor after some time. Hence, the money spent on these things after you are discharged from the hospital will be considered as post-hospitalization expenses. 

Usually, health insurance plans cover post-hospitalization expenses for up to 60/90 days after getting discharged from the hospital. However, some plans also offer post-hospitalization cover for up to 120 days.

Reasons to Buy Health Insurance with Pre & Post-hospitalization Cover

Take a look at a few reasons why you must buy a health insurance policy with pre and post-hospitalization cover:

• Wider Coverage – If you opt for pre and post-hospitalization cover, the scope of coverage of your health policy widens. It not only covers the medical expenses incurred during hospitalization but also before getting admitted and after getting discharged. Thus, it can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses substantially.

• Reduces Financial Burden – Pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses can be really costly. Sometimes, the money spent before and after hospitalization is equal to the hospitalization expenses. As a result, your savings can get exhausted in no time. But if your health policy covers these expenses, your financial burden will decrease.

• Better Prepared for Medical Exigencies – If your policy comes with pre & post-hospitalization cover, you are better prepared to deal with any medical exigencies. No matter when you face a health emergency, your insurance company will pay for your hospitalization, pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses.

• Lowers Stress – By opting for a health plan with pre & post-hospitalization cover, you can avail treatment for a disease or medical condition without any stress. You can focus completely on getting fully cured and do not need to worry about arranging money to pay for your pre & post-hospitalization expenses.

• Cashless Cover – Another benefit of buying a health policy with pre & post-hospitalization cover is that you get cashless coverage. You can conduct your pre-hospitalization tests and avail post-hospitalization treatments at a network hospital of your insurance company. By doing so, you will get cashless coverage and won’t have to pay for pre & post-hospitalization expenses from your own pockets.

Things to Remember While Buying Health Insurance with Pre & Post-hospitalization Cover

Here are a few things that you must keep in mind while buying a health insurance policy with pre and post-hospitalization cover:

• Same Disease/ Medical Condition - The insurance company will cover pre & post-hospitalization expenses only for the disease or medical condition for which you were admitted to a hospital.
• Fixed Coverage Period - Pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses are covered only for a fixed number of days, usually 30 days and 60 days respectively. Any expenses incurred beyond this time period will not be covered under your policy. Thus, make sure to check the pre & post-hospitalization coverage period before you raise a claim.
• Hospitalization is Essential - The coverage for pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses get activated only if you get admitted to the hospital. You cannot claim these expenses if you were not hospitalized and got cured at home. 
• Submit Bill & Receipts - When raising a claim for pre & post-hospitalization expenses, make sure to submit the bills and payment receipts for all pre & post-hospitalization expenses to your insurance company.

Summing It Up

A lot of medical expenses are incurred before you are diagnosed with a disease. Similarly, you will have to spend a lot of money after getting discharged from the hospital on follow-up treatments and medicines to ensure a full recovery. With pre & post-hospitalization cover, you can make sure that your insurance company pays for these expenses. Do remember to check the coverage period for pre and post-hospitalization expenses before you raise a claim.