Hospital Options
There are a number of aspects related to hospital cover that you need to consider before selecting the policy that best serves your needs at the lowest possible cost. Your medical conditions may require you to include certain covers in the hospital treatment apart from extra options such as dental and optical care that you would like to check whether they are covered by the hospital cover policy or not and then compare the costs across different companies to arrive at the best deal. You also need to find out what discounts in hospital cover are given if you choose family or group cover to minimize your premium.
Private Hospital Admission
Almost all hospital covers include in their policy the expenses related to hospital admission, but most policies exclude pre-existing conditions. Therefore, if you anticipate a hospital admission within a short period of joining or upgrading your health insurance, it is better to get in touch with the company to know if it will be covered or not.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Plastic surgery may involve cosmetic or reconstructive surgery. If the procedure involves cosmetic surgery aimed at improving the looks or appearance, then it comes under cosmetic surgery, whereas reconstructive surgery are considered essential, such as eyelid correction for improving the field of vision. However, there is often a thin line dividing what constitutes a cosmetic surgery and what comes under reconstructive surgery. Most reproductive surgeries are covered under hospital cover while cosmetic surgeries are not.
Chronic Renal Failure – Dialysis
A condition of chronic renal failure developing due to progressively worsening kidney function is not provided full cover by most health insurance policies. It is either excluded, or included under restricted cover. Therefore, if you happen to develop this condition, you are most likely required to make some payment for the dialysis process done.
Pregnancy & Birth Related
Even if you have a health insurance, it may come as a surprise to you that the maternity and birth related expenses are not covered by your policy. Most policies require you to make an additional monthly payment to include this in your plan, though it may prove quite expensive. It is better to find out specific terms of the policy beforehand.
Assisted Reproductive
Assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization help to overcome the problem of male infertility by achieving a pregnancy through artificial means under the supervision of doctors. It is an expensive process and generally not covered by most health insurance plans. Clients face not only the charges related to AR procedure, but also related expenses such as anesthesia, hospital admission, etc. Most companies have a limit on the number of procedure a woman can have per year that can be even partially covered by insurance, though it is quite debatable.
Heart Surgery
Heart surgery is done in an emergency condition that may happen with any one, completely unannounced and is an expensive process if you have to go through this process. It is always advisable to select a policy that provides this cover in its policy.
Major Eye Surgery
A major eye surgery is included under hospital cover by most health insurance funds, but it is generally offered under restricted cover. Some include the treatment to be done in a public hospital, but not in a private hospital
Hip & Knee Joint Replacement
More and more health insurance companies are now extending hip & knee joint replacement in their hospital cover with increasing awareness among people about how it can relieve pain and disability because of arthritis.
In-Hospital Psychiatry
The in-hospital psychiatry care refers to the services provided to a patient admitted to a hospital who is participating in a program on a day basis or on overnight basis. The hospitals providing this facility covered under their hospital cover insurance work on the principle that people with mental illness require a comprehensive range of services with an individualized care.
In-Hospital Rehabilitation
The in-hospital rehabilitation program is aimed at improving mobility, balance, lower and upper limb strength and functions, etc. It may be suitable for people with certain neurological conditions, general reconditioning after a prolonged illness, or for managing a range of chronic pain conditions