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Health Insurance in India
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:46 am
by exhydi
Has anybody done an evaluation of the health-insurance coverage available in India? One thing I notice here which is different then in the US is, if you have insurance, the hospitals actually charge more unlike in the US where, contracted rates with insurance companies are lower then the standard rates!
I work independently and don't have health coverage from an employer. My wife had an unpleasant accident recently and had to be rushed to Manipal Hospital(BLR) for an emergency surgery of her right hand. Although the experience was relatively pleasant, it ended up being pretty expensive ~$2500 for surgery and hospitalization(she completely broke both bones between her wrist and elbow in a simple fall!).
I found a few of interesting facts:
The charges for everything are based on the kind of room you select(general ward, semi-private, private, luxury etc) and go up exponentially.
Hospitals try to stick you with the highest class as much as possible by claiming no vacancy
We didn't know this, but when you don't have insurance, you have to tell them repeatedly that you don't have insurance so they don't stick you with un-necessary charges
This may be an exception, but I notice that they love to dose you up on medicines all the time. My wife had to argue with the nurses that her anti-biotic treatment was only for 3 days, but the nurses kept insisting it was harmless!
Medical tourism is changing the landscape of service. The hospital staff, especially in the higher class rooms, are very attentive and courteous. The rooms/ambience etc were on-par with what you would find in the US. My vision of having bribe everyone to get service certainly wasn't true. Ofcourse, the hospitals make up by sticking it to you! It makes you wanna carry insurance...
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:25 am
by VS007
Uh oh! Scary!
I visited Manipal Hospital and was impressed with their Doctors and service, but we went just for OPD consulting.
So do you think its better to have insurance and then visit such hospitals?
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:23 am
by realentity
Here's what most of my friends in India have - Mediclaim.
http://www.newindia.co.in/per-medi.aspThis policy provides for cashless hospitalization in India for the treatment of any illness or disease or accidental injury. A family package cover can be taken covering proposer, spouse, dependent parents and two dependent children with a 10% discount in premium. Premium upto Rs.10,000/- paid by cheque for this policy is entitled for tax rebate under section 80D of the Income Tax Act.
Other options:
http://www.uiic.co.in/mediclaim.jsphttp://orientalinsurance.nic.in/index.htmhttp://www.nationalinsuranceindia.com/
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:27 pm
by exhydi
VS007;13758Uh oh! Scary!
I visited Manipal Hospital and was impressed with their Doctors and service, but we went just for OPD consulting.
So do you think its better to have insurance and then visit such hospitals?[/quote]
I still haven't figured out how insurance works here. I guess in the US, everything is per contract so you don't have to worrry. Here I found that you can purchase insurance for upto 5Lacs(haven't seen anyone offering more) but it's not clear how the payout happens. For example, if you choose a higher class service, do you pay out of pocket or do you just get a lumpsome upto the insurance amount and then the rest is your head-ache...
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:18 pm
by direstraits88
One of the easiest way to get Medical insurance is to join the group medical policy offered by Andhra bank and Indian Overseas Bank. Just open an account and you are eligible for the group policy. They offer upto 5 Lacs of coverage for the family for a premium of around 10k per year. (It's 5 Lacs total for the family per year). This is open for NRIs too..
They give you an option to use a TPA (third party Administrator) which means you pay nothing if you are hospitalized. Just carry your insurance card and the TPA will handle it with the hospital. Unlike the U.S, there's no deductible ( other than meal expense and such).. All medical costs are covered.
Now the insurance companies are slowly trying to get into "negotiated" pricing. But the hospitals are not willing...
With booming medical tourism, we will be fighting with outsiders for medical services soon.. My father was recently in hospital and was discharged early because the hospital was full and other patients had to be admitted for surgery. Not insurance related. We were paying the cost.
In the past, hospitals were conservative and would keep the patient for observation for a few days after any incident. Not anymore.. They are over-booked like all Good Hotels in Bangalore.
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:12 am
by nand
I dont think insurance is necessary in India. Even the worst kind of condition like a surgery or cancer will cost not more than 10 lacs. Compared to US where a simple surgery will set u back 50-100K. I wouldnt worry with health insurance in India they way I would in the US but if employer pays then it is ok to take it.
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:02 pm
by yessireebob
nand;39944I dont think insurance is necessary in India. Even the worst kind of condition like a surgery or cancer will cost not more than 10 lacs. Compared to US where a simple surgery will set u back 50-100K. I wouldnt worry with health insurance in India they way I would in the US but if employer pays then it is ok to take it.
I think I disagree here. You can live without insurance, but it might not be a good idea. You will need insurance in India going forward. Companies are scaling back on the insurances and coverages that they were offering in the past. A lot of this has to do with the coverage for the elderly. In my company now there is a big debate on whether parents should be covered in the policy offered at work.
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 10:03 pm
by nand
bob - I am not advocating not taking insurance. If employer provides by all means take it. Otherwise if a mediclaim policy is reasonably priced go for it. Here is the thing, if you are paying 10K rupees for 5 lacs of coverage, that is not much coverage. For the average person who visits this message board 5 lacs is not much. An average doctor visit is 100-200 rupees. It is quite inexpensive relatively speaking in India. All I am saying is that even if you dont have insurance, even the worst kind of incident will not break your bank in India. In the US it surely will.
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 10:22 pm
by direstraits88
One main reason that i took a medical insurance for 2 Lacs family coverage is that i want to start coverage right away.. I don't live in India now but i wanted some coverage to start with.
Today it costs 5 Lacs for surgery which i can afford. 10 years from now, when i may have health issues and it cost 25Lacs for surgery... I may have to break the bank.
Also, you can be denied coverage in India for existing medical conditions.
If you have parents around 60 years, it's a no-brainer. Get coverage NOW.. After 2 no-claim years, all existing conditions are covered by many insurance companies.
Most of us would need hospitalization atleast once beyond 60. ( I would say 50 years.. personally).
Nand: Since 5 Lacs don't break the bank for you. 10k is more like a weekend shopping trip....
Health Insurance in India
Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:02 am
by layman
desipardesi;39994Today it costs 5 Lacs for surgery which i can afford. 10 years from now, when i may have health issues and it cost 25Lacs for surgery... I may have to break the bank.
Nand: Since 5 Lacs don't break the bank for you. 10k is more like a weekend shopping trip....[/quote]
When the health cost goes to 25 Lacs won't the premium also go higher? By taking a 5 lakh health policy with 10000 premium now, are you going to get the benefit of 25 Lakhs later. I am confused here.