10 Health Insurance Plans in India Which Cover Covid-19
By Sumit Asrani
17 May 2022, 12:54 PM
The novel Coronavirus has been a cause of huge physical and financial distress across the world. Currently, there are a total of 3.28 crore corona cases in India (as of 1 September 2021) and the numbers are increasing rapidly. With a huge population of around 136.64 crores, it is quite difficult to control the spread of this dreadful pandemic.
Since the disease COVID-19 is quite dangerous and needs immediate medical treatment we must be prepared to face the medical emergency. However, if you already have health insurance then will the novel coronavirus fall under the scope of coverage provided by this health insurance plan.
What do you Mean by Coronavirus Health Insurance?
Coronavirus health insurance would refer to a health insurance policy that is designed in such a way, it can help in meeting the expenses that are incurred in the treatment of the covid-19. A coronavirus health insurance policy would help in providing cover for the expenses that are incurred during the hospitalisation of the policyholder. This coverage is provided irrespective of the type of disease that has been diagnosed by the physician.
Most of the health insurance policies would provide cover for the expenses that are incurred in the treatment of viral infections. Coronavirus is a viral infection and so, health insurance policies would provide coverage for the pre-hospitalisation, in-hospitalisation, and post-hospitalisation expenses that have been incurred during the treatment of the pandemic COVID-19. Moreover, the Coronavirus Health Insurance plan would provide coverage from the day of diagnosis of the illness. Since COVID-19 is a new health ailment and so, it is not covered under the category of other pre-existing conditions.
Types of Coronavirus Health Insurance Plans
The major types of Coronavirus Health Insurance Plans available in India are
Corona Kavach Policy - This is considered to be the standard coronavirus health insurance plan which would provide cover for the expenses related to the treatment of the pandemic COVID-19. These expenses would include expenses related to hospitalisation, home care treatment, costs of medicines, masks, and gloves, etc. The sum insured in this policy will usually start from INR 50,000 and can go up to INR 5 lakh. It is also feasible to include your family under the Corona Kavach Policy. This Corona health insurance plan would also cover the AYUSH treatment available in India.
Corona Rakshak Policy - The Corona Rakshak Policy would provide coverage for the hospitalisation of a minimum duration of 72 hours and more needed for the Corona treatment. The coverage provided would include the expenses that are incurred in procuring the masks, nebulizers, gloves, oximeters, gloves, AYUSH treatment, etc. The age limit for the purchase of the Corona Rakshak Policy is between the age group of 18 years-65 years. The sum insured can be within the range of INR 50,000 to INR 2.5 lakh.
Coronavirus Group Health Insurance - In case, you are already being covered under a Group Health Insurance Policy then you must check with your health insurance provider on the coverage of COVID-19. But, in case your Group Health Insurance Policy is either the Corona Kavach Policy or the Corona Rakshak Policy then your hospitalisation related to COVID-19 would definitely be covered.
Pre-hospitalisation and in-patient hospitalisation expenses.
ICU room rent.
Coverage for maternity expenses and neonatal care.
Hospitalisation for critical illnesses.
Expenses of organ donor.
Accidental hospitalisation.
Home hospitalisation.
Day-care procedures.
Daily hospital cash.
Expenses of post-hospitalisation.
Alternate treatment.
Expenses of road ambulance.
Exclusions of the Coronavirus Health Insurance
The major exclusions of the coronavirus health insurance are mentioned below:-
Coverage for any pre-existing conditions would not be included under the Coronavirus Health Insurance.
Any expenses that are incurred while you are staying at home and are being quarantined then would not be covered under the coronavirus health insurance.
In case, you are being quarantined at a non-recognised quarantine centre then the expenses that are incurred would not be covered under the Coronavirus health insurance.
The coronavirus health insurance would not provide cover for pre-natal or post-natal expenses incurred unless it leads to hospitalisation.
Moreover, if you are being hospitalised without the proper recommendation of a qualified doctor then the Coronavirus health insurance would not provide coverage for the expenses incurred in the hospitalisation.
Important Facts to Remember on the Coronavirus Health Insurance
Some of the important facts which you must keep in mind while purchasing your Coronavirus health insurance are:-
Coverage - It is necessary that you must very carefully understand the coverage provided by the Coronavirus Health insurance before you purchase the policy. Most of the Coronavirus health insurance policies would cover the in-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation expenses along with the OPD and ambulance charges.
Sum Insured - COVID-19 can cause severe respiratory illnesses and can also harm complete body functioning. The treatment for this disease can be extremely expensive and especially for those who have some other underlying diseases. So, you must choose a health insurance policy with a higher sum insured so that you are adequately covered.
Waiting Period - It is important to check the waiting period associated with the Coronavirus health insurance policy. Usually, all the health insurance plans would come up with a waiting period of 30 days whereas there are some which also come up with a waiting period of 15 days in the case of the Coronavirus Health Insurance. Since the health insurance claims filed during the waiting period would not be covered under the Coronavirus Health Insurance Policy, you must check about it before buying.
Conclusion
Hence, the coronavirus is not a pre-existing ailment and would be covered under the basic expenses related to hospitalisation. A health insurance policy that includes the coverage of in-hospitalisation expenses, ICU charges, and other charges related to diagnostic tests would cover the expenses incurred in the treatment of COVID-19. So, with this list of the top 10 health insurance plans for COVID-19, you can easily purchase the best ones for yourself and your family.
