How to Claim Health Insurance Without Getting Hospitalised?
In today’s times, health insurance is a necessity. In India, people are increasingly opting for health insurance plans for family and themselves. When a medical emergency hits a family, it brings with it emotional and financial stress. With the costs of medical treatments increasing at a rapid rate, medical bills can bore a hole in their financial plans. A health insurance policy is a good way to manage such unexpected expenses in a hassle-free manner and get the best treatment you deserve.
Whenever people think about health insurance, hospitalisation is one of the first things that they think of. However, with advancements in medical technology, prolonged hospitalisation is no longer a necessity. In fact, people can avail of various treatments without requiring admission to a hospital. In this article, we will talk about scenarios where you can claim health insurance without getting hospitalised.
Day-Care Procedures
If you avail of a day-care treatment that is completed in less than 24 hours and does not require hospitalisation, then it is called a day-care procedure. Medical science has evolved, and treatments that required hospitalisation before can now be completed in less than 24 hours. A day-care procedure is a medical procedure that is completed within 24 hours. While the treatment is faster than before, it is also costlier.
Some examples of day-care procedures are:
- Cataract Procedures
- Liver Aspiration
- Sinusitis
- Appendectomy
- Angioplasty
- Colonoscopy
- Radiotherapy
- Dialysis
- Chemotherapy
- ENT-related treatments and many more
If you are buying a medical insurance plan for a senior citizen, then make sure that the policy offers coverage for most ailments that affect older people. Also, carefully read health policy to know about its inclusions and exclusions of day-care treatments. Otherwise, it may cause difficulty at a later time and also the denial of health insurance claims.
Domiciliary Hospitalisation
There can be situations when the patient has to avail of treatment at home since he/she is unable to get admitted to a hospital. If the person suffers from a severe ailment wherein his/her mobility is restricted, then this option can be availed of. Also, if there is a shortage of beds in the hospital during epidemics and pandemics, you can avail of this option. Domiciliary hospitalisation covers the cost of treatment while the patient stays at home.
This feature includes treatments that last for more than 72 hours. However, this can vary between insurance companies. If a person faces a medical condition like a fracture or paralysis and cannot be moved to a medical facility, the domiciliary hospitalisation cover comes in handy.
It is important to remember that domiciliary hospitalisation does not offer coverage for alternative treatments. It is important to remember that a domiciliary cover works only when purchased with a medical insurance policy.
As you can see, you can benefit from health insurance without hospitalisation. Medical treatments have undergone a major change due to the advancement in technology. Today, there are many computer-aided procedures that are completed in minutes compared to hours of hard work put in by doctors before. While for patients, this means faster treatment times, the costs are higher than the traditional procedures. The silver lining is that procedures that required hospitalisation earlier are now completed as day-care procedures. Hence, it saves hospitalisation costs.
Summing Up
Apart from the day-care procedures and domiciliary hospitalisation described above, many insurance providers also offer coverage for outpatient treatment and dental procedures. Hence, when you decide to buy a medical insurance plan, it is important to compare providers and plans. This can help you look at all the options available to you and compare them with your requirements. You can also use online health insurance calculators to estimate the premium that you will have to pay on your desired policy. Consider all aspects, and especially the ease of the health insurance claim process, before finalising the health insurance plan for you and your family.
