Is Depression Covered In Health Insurance?

Recently due to the global spread of the pandemic, a nationwide lockdown has been imposed by various countries to stop the spread of the contagious coronavirus. Due to the confinement within the four walls of the house and little to no social interaction, a lot of people have come up with complaints of mental health issues like stress, anxiety, and depression. Due to working from home and no organized activities in a day, a large population is suffering from mental health issues and thus, it has become an alarming situation for the nation.

Poor mental health not only affects the daily lifestyle of the people but also adversely impacts their physical health. People have come to the verge of mental breakdown and to support such people, various organizations have joined hands. There are communities that are coming up with ways to provide online counseling to the people in times of difficulty and help them restore their healthy state of mind.

About Mental Health And Depression

Depression is a condition that adversely affects the mental well being of an individual and is a type of psychological disorder. It hampers their day to day activities and alters their mood, behaviour, work mind, decision making, thought process, etc. According to the Mental Health Act, 2017, mental illnesses must be given equal importance as a physical disease, because it impacts the daily life of an individual. With the steep rise in modernization and urbanization, only the mental wellbeing of a person can help them survive the stress and load due to work, and therefore it should be potentially a part of a health insurance cover. There are various reasons a person can feel depressed, like it could be the workload, relationship issues, peer pressure, poor interaction, and much more. Therefore, it is important to diagnose depression on time as it can lead people to the verge of losing faith in themselves and thus, ending their lives considering it to be purposeless.

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Is Depression Included In Health Insurance Policies?

With the growing awareness towards the mental wellbeing of the people, the health insurance policies have started including Psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, etc. in the health insurance policies. IRDAI has made it mandatory for all the health insurance providers to treat mental illness just like any other physical illness under the Mental Health Act, 2017. The psychological disorder covered under the insurance plan looks after the medical expenses incurred during the treatment of disorders like depression and covers the cost of hospitalization, medication, consultation, ambulance charges, etc, just like any other physical disorder. Mental retardation is not a part of the coverage of such plans, as it is not a disease and is instead an incomplete development of the brain of an individual.

Perks of Psychological Disorder Cover In Health Insurance Policies

Health insurance providers have included the psychological disorders out of compulsion by the IRDAI, as there is a significant rise in the mental health cases like depression, stress, etc. during the pandemic. Let us look at some of the perks of including depression and other psychological disorders under a health insurance plan:

• The inclusion of depression in the health insurance policies is mandated by the law and therefore, lawfully you as a policyholder are protected and have the complete right to receive monetary aid in case of suffering from depression or any other psychological disorder.
• The psychological disorder cover comes with a sufficient claim amount with its coverage including pre and post hospitalization, diagnosis charges, consultation, and treatment of the disease. The coverage of such plans can be extended under certain terms and conditions specified by the insurer, and you can also receive cashless claim benefits over your policy at one of the linked hospitals of the insurer.

Conclusion

Policyholders can include the psychological disorders under their health insurance plans to get sufficient coverage in case of diagnosis. It is important to detect and treat such mental illnesses on time as they hamper the daily growth of an individual and affect their daily life.

Also Read: What Is The Health Insurance Claim Settlement Ratio (CSR)?

Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.