10 most innovative features of Indian health insurance

Keeping up with the growing innovations in the field of medicine, the healthcare industry has also evolved dynamically. Today's health insurance plans are customer-centric and offer extensive attractive features as per the customer’s needs. As a customer, you must be aware of the continuous changes taking place in the insurance industry to choose the best plan and make well-informed decisions. Listed below are some of the newest features of health insurance in India that you should be aware of:

1. Lifelong plan renewal:

As per the earlier guidelines, an individual could enjoy the health insurance policy till the age of 65-70 years. However, per the 2016 revised IRDAI guidelines, every insurance company must offer a lifelong policy renewal benefit. In February 2022, the IRDAI also declared that no insurance company can deny renewal of a Personal Accident Policy on the grounds of a policyholder’s age.

2. No sub-limits specifications:

A sub-limit in health insurance coverage is a predefined cap on the various components of health insurance claims. For a long time, sub-limits have been a sore point as well as confusion for most policyholders. Fortunately, more and more health insurance companies are now removing sub-limits and offering coverage up to the sum insured when it comes to pre-and post-hospitalisation expenses, room rent in the hospital, treatment, surgery expenses etc.

3. Global healthcare assistance:

With the advancement of the insurance sector, today you can access efficient health insurance policies even if you are outside India. The coverage includes both in and out-patient treatment expenses, medical evacuation, ambulance charges etc. It will also help you if you need to go abroad for better medical treatment.

4. Better coverage:

Another important innovation in the field of health insurance is health plans are now becoming more open to different illnesses. For a long time, people with health issues found it difficult to buy insurance, however, now there are various plans that cover people with asthma, blood pressure etc. Even with some listed pre-existing illnesses, one can opt for a health insurance plan.

5. Day-care and OPD:

Until a few years ago, in order to make a claim, you had to have been hospitalised for a minimum of 24 hours. However, now your health insurance plan includes, surgeries that last only for a few hours, dialysis, chemo and radiotherapy, and surgery of the eye, along with day-care procedures.

6. Maternity expenses:

Maternity expenses are another recent feature that many health insurance providers are offering as a built-in feature or as a rider.

7. Domiciliary hospitalisation:

Another feature of the new-age health plans is that they can cover the treatment you take at home as well. If a doctor-prescribed treatment cannot be carried out at a hospital, expenses on domiciliary hospitalisation are covered by the insurer.

8. An alternate line of treatment:

It may come as a surprise to many that most health plans cover AYUSH treatments which stand for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Sidha and Homeopathy.

9. Quicker online procedures:

Insurance is no longer a tedious job. Be it a purchase or a renewal, the process is quick, seamless, and effortless. You can also compare the quotations and estimate the premium amount offered by various providers just by sitting at home. There is no need to stand in long lines to pay your premium; you can do it all anytime, anywhere.

a. e-Know Your Customer (eKYC):

When the pandemic began, the Government of India started the E-KYC procedure to maintain social distancing and lesser human interactions. You no longer need to visit the insurance companies physically, your background verification, and KYC can be completed digitally. Not just KYC but also the purchasing of the policy, renewal, and claim filing can all be done online.

b. e-Insurance Account (eIA):

As an insurance policyholder, you can create an insurance repository, get easy access to all your insurance accounts and manage them from anywhere and at any time.

10. Online claim settlement:

You can file for a claim settlement online in just a few steps. You can also track the real-time claim status. Most insurance companies provide 24*7 customer service, and many promise a claim settlement within hours of claim filing.

Conclusion

Health insurance coverage is imperative for people of all ages so, when choosing a health insurance plan, ensure to compare various plans, review the various features, and carefully evaluate the inclusions and exclusions under the policies. It is the best means to protect you and your family from unforeseen financial strains because of your healthcare needs. Stay updated with the innovations and make the most of them.