The current surge in Covid-19 has resulted in a spike in active cases of the virus in India. According to the Union Health Ministry, 10,542 new coronavirus infections were registered in the past 24-hour period, bringing the total active cases to 63,562. It is therefore essential to investigate if your Health Insurance covers the expenses of COVID-19 treatments.
You should be aware that a standard Health Insurance Plan only pays for hospitalisation charges; it does not cover outpatient fees like doctor visits, lab testing, or prescription costs. Only after being hospitalised for at least 24 hours does it reimburse the costs of Covid-19-related treatment.
As a result, many insurers have begun to provide comprehensive OPD health plans in order to fill this gap in your Health Insurance Coverage. OPD plans are now as important as ever, especially in the wake of the pandemic when many patients received care at home because hospitals were overflowing.
Types of OPD Health Insurance Plans
OPD plans can be generally divided into three categories.
First, the simplest OPD plan just offers you virtual doctor consultations. Second, there are programmes that include both online and physical consultations.
And the third, best plan offers you both online and in-person consultations and pays for your lab work and pharmaceutical costs.
Where to buy an OPD Plan?
OPD coverage is either available as an add-on with a base plan or as a rider with the fundamental policy. BeFit from ICICI Lombard, the 'Health Prime' rider from Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, and the ProHealth Prime Advantage from ManipalCigna Health Insurance are a few of the possibilities. What matters most right now is how much it costs.
How much does it cost?
OPD plans typically provide coverage between Rs 5,000 and Rs 60,000. Let's use the BeFit policy offered by ICICI Lombard, as an illustration, to determine how much it costs to purchase such a plan. For a 23-year-old who simply wishes to choose virtual consultations, the premium is Rs 297, and the insured amount is Rs 6,000. In a similar manner, a 60-year-old who desires the highest level of OPD coverage will pay a premium of Rs 6,558 for an insured sum of Rs 55,000. Check the table mentioned above for additional OPD plans, assuming a baseline health cover of Rs. 5 lakh for a 35-year-old guy.
Before purchasing an OPD plan, it's important to check that there are sufficient experienced physicians available for a speedy consultation. The coverage allocated for both the total cost and for each consultation should be sufficient to cover the expense, so you should also take a look at it. Additionally, it is usually a good idea to have a policy that offers OPD availability at all hours of the day in case an emergency arises out of the blue.
Conclusions
You must purchase an OPD plan to pay for doctor visits, diagnostic tests, and prescription medications. However, you should review coverage, its exclusions, and the local medical network before purchasing an OPD plan.
