The Impact of Health Insurance on Healthcare Access and Utilisation

Owning a health insurance policy today is a necessity. When you have healthcare insurance in your name, you have a sense of security regarding your and your family’s health. The number of people covered under health plans in India was nearly around 514 million in the year 2021-22. Healthcare insurance has gained much popularity as there is increasing awareness about healthcare worldwide.

In this article, you will learn how healthcare insurance impacts access to healthcare and its utilisation in India.

What is Health Coverage Plan?

Health insurance is a contract or an agreement with an insurance-providing company promising to cover health care costs for you. Health policies have several categories and price ranges. You can choose from several insurance companies and the kind of policy you require with your budget. Some very common expenses health coverage insurance covers are hospitalisation expenses, medicine costs, and consultation fees of doctors.

What are the Features of a Health Coverage Plan?

Health insurance is a must-have for you to survive in today’s society. Some essential features of health coverage insurance are mentioned below:

1. Co-Payment

The majority of health insurance companies in India provide the option of co-payment. With co-payment, you pay the partial amount of the incurred medical expenses while the insurance company pays the rest.

2. Renewal Discounts

If you have not claimed in the previous year of your insurance policy, you get a renewal discount or no claim discount from your insurance provider. It means the rate at which you pay your insurance premium gets decreased for every year you don’t claim your insurance.

3. Waiting Period for Pre-existing Conditions

Pre-existing medical conditions are the ones you already had before applying for the health  policy. Such conditions include heart problems, diabetes, blood pressure, etc. The waiting period to claim insurance for such conditions is around 2 to 4 years. So, you must try to get insurance with a short waiting period.

4. Network Of Hospitals

Every insurance provider has a list of hospitals that come under their network. These hospitals can be local or international. While buying your policy, remember to check the network of hospitals to ensure you get the best hospitals and doctors in your plan.

5. Medical Checkups

Almost every health coverage policy provides free medical checkups in their health insurance plans. Regular health checkups are essential and will help you stay updated on your health condition.

Impact of Health Coverage on Healthcare Access And Utilisation

Healthcare has become more accessible today because of the increased health coverage  services you get from various companies. Health coverage has played a big role in increasing healthcare access and utilisation due to these reasons:

1. Financial Security

You must know how expensive healthcare costs are today in a country like India. By investing in healthcare insurance, you are assured of financial stability when a medical emergency occurs. The insurance covers all the medical expenses for you as per your choice. Because of this, people have started relying on health policy as they can now access medical care they normally couldn’t afford. While discussing the rising healthcare costs, it’s crucial to consider factors such as the Medicare physical therapy cap 2022, which can have a significant impact on individuals seeking specialized medical treatments.

2. Low Cost and High Coverage

You must pay a fixed premium when you buy a healthcare insurance policy. However, the premium is much less than the healthcare costs you are bound to get in a medical emergency. Low cost and high coverage in insurance let you save up a lot of your earnings. People have started utilising health coverage plans so they do not have to spend a fortune on health care.

3. COVID-19 Treatment

Since the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the coverage for coronavirus treatments is now included in almost every insurance company. After COVID, health consciousness worldwide has significantly increased, resulting in more accessible healthcare and investments in health coverage insurance.

4. Ayush Treatment Benefits

Many of you might be believers in Ayurveda sciences for medical treatments. AYUSH treatments, which stand for Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy, are thus included in most healthcare insurance policies. Since many believe in Ayurvedic treatments, including AYUSH in healthcare plans has increased the demand and accessibility of health coverage in India.

5. Maternity Coverage

Many insurance providers include maternity coverage in their policies. With this, more women rely on healthcare insurance for pregnancy-related expenses, which are otherwise very expensive. Providing maternity coverage in health coverage plans has made medical treatment for the mother and the baby easily accessible.

Conclusion

If you talk about a few years in the past, healthcare insurance policies were not considered reliable. However, today these policies are a gateway for getting the best possible healthcare in your budget. You must compare all the insurance providers and decide the right policy.

Now that you know how health insurance has impacted healthcare access in India, head over to Niva Bupa Health Insurance to find some of the best healthcare insurance policies for you today!

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