With the medical advancement, the cost of treatment will rise in India which may comprise infrastructure, facilities, hospitalisation, medications, and so on. On this note, the Indian government has introduced various health insurance schemes to provide healthcare assistance to underprivileged people.

Karunya Health Insurance Scheme is a part of such initiatives that was launched by the Kerala Government to offer quality healthcare to the poverty-stricken segment of society at a nominal charge premium. This ambitious health insurance project was launched by the UDF government in 2012 to provide the required benefits to the underprivileged or poor people in society. The Kerala Lottery funds this insurance scheme and the amount is transferred directly to offer a settlement for the network hospitals.

Karunya Health Insurance Scheme in Kerala: Coverage, Eligibility and Features

The sole purpose of this scheme is to provide treatment coverage to people suffering from critical illnesses. Under this scheme, every family must receive a health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs each year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

Eligibility for Karunya Health Insurance Scheme

The eligibility criteria to enrol in the Karunya health insurance Plan are listed below:

• The beneficiary should be a resident of Kerala.
• Applicants below the line of poverty can only apply for this scheme. All the BPL and APL families with annual income less than Rs. 3 lakhs are eligible for this insurance scheme.
• People applying for this scheme should own their Aadhaar card and income certificate to get enrolled along with some other required documents.

Benefits of Karunya Health Insurance Scheme

The Karunya Health Scheme by the Government of Kerala works similarly to that of a critical illness insurance cover. This cover allows people who are suffering from critical chronic illnesses to get treatment benefits. Some of the acute illnesses covered under this insurance include:

• Cancer
• Haemophilia
• Palliative Care
• Heart diseases
• Kidney diseases

One gets treatment for the aforementioned illnesses under this scheme easily as it provides treatment benefits up to Rs. 2 lakh. For specific events of major ailments, the treatment benefit provided under this scheme can be increased maximum of Rs. 3 lakh. The best aspect of this health insurance scheme is that if your medical treatment costs exceed the estimated treatment cost, you will get a reimbursement for that amount.

Features of Karunya Health Insurance Scheme

Listed below are some of the key features of the Karunya Health Insurance Scheme:

• The government has disbursed around Rs.250 crore for this health insurance
• Initially, the treatment benefits under this health scheme were provided only through government healthcare facilities or hospitals, but later on, different private hospitals also got empanelled to give treatment under this cover.
• All the information and details about this health insurance scheme can be checked on its official website, i.e. https://www.karunya.kerala.gov.in. Here you can get all the details about the application and declaration form, claim process, list of network hospitals, and so on.
• You can easily find the details of the list of nominees or beneficiaries on the website. In the menu, you can just click on the ‘list of beneficiaries’ and select your district, hospital, and dates.
• For application tracking, you will have to click on the ‘application tracking’ tab and enter the file number. The current status of your application shall appear after that.

Documents Required To Apply For Karunya Health Insurance Scheme

You can apply for the registration process of the Karunya Health Insurance Scheme by submitting the list of documents given below:

1. Identity Proof: Basic ID proof such as Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, etc, is needed to prove that you are a resident of Kerala.

2. Residential Details: The residential proof should be submitted in its original form.

3. BPL Card: Since this health insurance scheme is aimed to provide treatment for underprivileged people of the society, therefore, applicants have to present enough evidence to validate that. For BPL cardholders, it is compulsory to present the document during the online registration process to avail the benefits of this scheme.

4. Income Certificate: Based on your annual income, the Government of Kerala will decide your eligibility for the health insurance scheme. Hence, you need to make sure to keep all the required documents handy that contain your income details while applying for this health insurance scheme.

5. Additional Requirements: In addition to these, a copy of the ration card, passport-size photo, and estimate of the total amount which was spent at the hospital must also be submitted along with your health insurance scheme application form.