Can I Buy Corona Virus Specific Health Insurance?
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Currently in India, as of February 15, 2022, there are 4,23,127 active cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) while the total cases tally is 4,26,92,943. It is a matter of great concern for our vastly populated nation. However, about 4,17,60,458 coronavirus patients have been discharged and cured in the country. The total number of vaccine doses administered in the country till date are 1,73,42,62,440.
Now it is again spreading widely in India as the highly infectious omicron variant has made its way to our country, like Europe and the USA. As of February 15, 2022, more than 10,050 cases of the new omicron COVID variant have been detected in India. Therefore, it is important to be prepared for any unfavourable circumstance in advance. But if you have a health insurance policy, the question is if the novel Coronavirus disease falls under the ambit of medical insurance coverage in India or not?
What is Coronavirus Health Insurance?
Coronavirus Health Insurance refers to an insurance policy that covers the medical expenses incurred on the treatment of COVID-19. A coronavirus health insurance policy is designed to cover the hospitalization expenses of the policyholder, irrespective of the disease that he has been diagnosed with (unless it is a critical illness that is not covered). Almost all the health insurance plans cover hospitalization expenses incurred on the treatment of viral infections. Since Coronavirus is a viral infection, a comprehensive health insurance policy pays off pre & post hospitalization expenses including in-patient and out-patient expenses, incurred on the treatment of COVID-19 and its variants, including omicron.
Health insurance for coronavirus cover will be available from the day the insured gets diagnosed with the disease. This is because COVID-19 is a new disease and therefore, does not come under the category of pre-existing illness.
Health Insurance for Coronavirus (COVID-19) in India
Since the outbreak of coronavirus, many insurers have been offering Covid-19 Health Insurance cover in their base plans. They are also providing specific Covid-19 Insurance Plans, Corona Kavach and Corona Rakshak are two such indemnity and benefit based plans that have been popular with people in India. All the hospitalization expenses, Ayush treatment expenses, and home treatment expenses are covered along with the cost of consumable items in these two mediclaim policies for coronavirus.
Is Coronavirus Covered Under Your Existing Health Insurance Policy?
Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 may be a newly discovered disease but all existing health insurance policies will provide coronavirus health insurance cover. This means that if you purchased a health insurance policy before testing positive for the coronavirus disease, any medical expenses incurred on its treatment will be covered under it (provided you don’t get diagnosed during the initial waiting period). You can avail coverage for coronavirus under your existing health insurance policy irrespective of the variants i.e. omicron or delta variant.
Conclusion
If you think you have met someone who is COVID-19 positive or feel unwell or have a travel history to affected countries then you can take protective measures and isolate yourself from others to limit the transmission of the virus
