Importance of Health Insurance During COVID-19 Times

At the times of the global pandemic, it has come to the realization of many that having a health insurance policy is necessary as it provides monetary support and ensures quality treatment at the time of medical emergencies. In the past few years, many people have lost their loved ones to the deadly attack of coronavirus, due to lack of proper treatments and medical attention at the time of emergency. Having a health insurance policy provides financial aid to the people and it also ensures cashless treatment of the policyholders at the network hospital of the insurance provider. 

A health insurance policy provides a sense of relief to the patients seeking treatment as it protects them against the high cost of treatments, thus saving them from draining their financial savings. To help the people in time of global pandemic, the government has rolled out COVID-19 specific plans which come with a 15 days waiting period and cover the expenses of treatments received during diagnosis of coronavirus disease. IRDAI has mandated all the health insurance providing companies to include COVID-19 cover in their regular health insurance policies so that people from different groups of the society can have access to it. The charges of PPE kits, masks, nebulizers, medications, hospitalization, room rents, ambulance charges, etc, are covered under such plans. 

Reasons To Have A Health Insurance Policy During The COVID-19 Times 

Following are the reasons for having a health insurance policy at the time of the global pandemic of coronavirus:

• High Requirement of ICU In COVID-19

The demand for ICUs at the time of this pandemic has increased rapidly. Every other coronavirus patient needs immediate medical attention, and in certain medical conditions, the patient needs to be admitted in the ICU as ventilator support is necessary. With the rapid rise in inflation in the health sector, it has become difficult for people from middle class families to get access to proper healthcare in the private hospitals and therefore, the health insurance policy ensures the quality treatment at the network hospital of the insurer. 

Must Read: Things to Know About Life After Recovering From COVID-19

• Everyone Is At A Risk 

Coronavirus disease is spreading from one person to the other, as it is a contagious respiratory illness. Therefore, at the time of hospitalization of multiple members of a family, it can become very hectic and stressful for a person to incur their costs of medical treatments. Hence, it is advisable to have a family floater health insurance plan covering all the members of a family under a single plan. It will ensure enough coverage for all the members insured under the plan. 

• Expensive Protective Gears 

Even if an individual is not admitted under intensive care, the regular treatment of the virus can potentially burn a hole in the individual's pocket due to the increase in the price of protective gears like personal protective equipment (PPE kits), masks, gloves, etc. which are required to protect the healthcare workers during the treatment. Therefore, the final bill after receiving the treatment for COVID-19 can still be very high. A health insurance cover compensates for all such expenses and a policyholder can easily seek treatment at relief without worrying about the money. 

• Emergency Coverage 

The health insurance covers the ambulance charges incurred during medical emergencies like falling of the oxygen levels abruptly. It can be difficult for people living in rural and semi-urban areas to incur the costs of an ambulance at the time of such medical emergencies. 

• Income Benefits 

The health insurance policies also provide monetary support to the families of the policyholders who have lost their job due to the hospitalization during the pandemic. It helps the people in coping with financial difficulties arising due to various reasons during the spread of coronavirus. 

• AYUSH Treatments 

Health insurance policies cover for other modes of treatment apart from the modern treatments like Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddhi, and Homeopathy. People get compensation for switching to different modes of treatment for the coronavirus disease. 

Conclusion 

Apart from the above mentioned benefits of having a health insurance policy during COVID-19 times, there are a lot of other reasons to invest in it. Therefore, you must get health insurance cover for yourself and your loved ones at the earliest, as there are a lot of plans in the insurance market that are comprehensive and affordable for the customers. 

Also Read: How to Get Vaccinated for Covid-19?

Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.