With the threat of dengue and malaria affecting the entire country beyond our imagination, some health insurance plans that cover these diseases serve as an awe-inspiring relief.
Vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue spread through mosquitos and affect people across the country every year. Delayed treatment can be dangerous. Hence, it is important to get timely diagnosis on such diseases and appropriate medical attention. Medication and hospitalisation charges to treat these diseases can be expensive. Viruses, parasites, and bacteria cause these diseases.
Fleas, mosquitos, and ticks usually transmit them. According to a study conducted by the World Health Organisation, these diseases account for approximately 17% of the global burden of all infectious diseases.
Not only have we seen an increase in the number of cases of dengue and malaria, but also a rise in treatment costs for these ailments. Health Insurance providers in India are consistently working towards offering innovative and relevant medical insurance products which cover the financial expenses related to the treatment of these diseases.
Some of the best health insurance companies in India have introduced an insurance policy aiming at providing financial support in battling vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria at affordable costs.
HDFC ERGO Health Insurance Cover
HDFC Ergo is one of the most trusted health insurance companies in the country. It provides a variety of mediclaim plans that are designed intuitively to suit everyone. The company offers Critical Illness Policy, Health Suraksha Plan.
Benefits offered:
In-patient hospitalisation: The Company will pay the sum insured if the insured is hospitalised due to,
Dengue fever
Malaria
Chikungunya
Other vector-borne diseases
Kala-azar
Lymphatic Filariasis and
Zika virus
Apart from the additional cover offered by the company, it provides a number of health insurance plans that cover a wide range of illnesses and diseases with comprehensive coverage, including dengue and malaria. The health insurance plans offered by HDFC Ergo are:
Personal Accident Insurance policy
It is important to read the policy document, inclusions, exclusions and coverage before buying any health insurance policy.
Key features of health insurance plans offered by HDFC ERGO
No. of members: The policy offers individuals as well as family floater policy.
Lifelong renewal: The policy offers are lifelong renewability feature, thereby saving you from the financial burden caused due to a medical emergency. Hence, you stay well prepared to tackle such situations.
No sub-limits on room rents: As sub-limit on hospital room rent makes you pay an additional amount from your own pockets, HDFC ERGO has no sub-limits on the room rent.
Wide sum insured to choose from: The Company offers various sum insured options to choose from. It also offers a 5% bonus on each claim-free year.
Pre and post-hospitalisation cover: Health Insurance plans cover the medical expenses for 60 days before hospitalisation and 90 days after hospitalisation.
Health check-ups: Upon successful completion of certain policy years, the company reimburses the health check-up expenses.
A comprehensive health insurance policy usually covers diseases like malaria and dengue. However, some insurance companies have introduced a pocket-sized policy that helps you cover the treatment cost if you get diagnosed with these diseases. The policy covers both in-patient and out-patient expenses. Whether the illness is at an early stage or an advanced one, such policy provides complete coverage against just one specific disease i.e. Dengue.
Apollo Munich – Dengue Care Plan
The policy is offered at a single premium rate regardless of the age of the insured. It covers expenses up to Rs. 10,000 if dengue is diagnosed.
Entry age: 91 days to 65 years
Maximum number of members: 6 members (adults – 4, children – 5)
Sum insured range: Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh
Annual premium
Sum insured: Rs. 50,000, Rs. 1,00,00
91 days to 65 years: Rs. 444, Rs. 578
Above 65 years: Rs. 444, Rs. 578
The plan does not have any limit on room expenses
No medical check-up is required, irrespective of age
Covers OPD expenses up to Rs. 10,000 if dengue is diagnosed
The policy comes with a waiting period of 15 days from the date of policy commencement
The policy comes with lifelong renewability feature
The policy covers 15 days of pre and post-hospitalisation expenses
The plan covers non-medical expenses incurred during hospitalisation if shared accommodation has been opted for.
You can opt for an individual as well as family floater policy to cover your family members, namely spouse, children and parents.
A maximum of 6 family members can be included in a single plan.
Do you need a separate health cover for dengue and malaria?
The vector-borne disease specific health plan is one of many stand-alone disease-specific plans that insurance companies are now offering. However, how many such plans can you buy? It is recommended that one must stick to a regular health insurance policy if it includes such diseases. If you have a decent health insurance plan, which covers diseases like malaria and dengue, you are safe. But in case you think your existing health cover is insufficient, you can enhance your regular plan with special protection (depending on the company and policy type). And this additional cover will not just take care of malaria or dengue, but any other medical emergency that may arise.
The disease-specific policy aims to ease your financial burden if you are diagnosed. While these plans provide a range of benefits, they cannot serve as a replacement for complete health covers. They act as add-on covers. The coverage offered by a comprehensive health insurance policy is much more extensive than disease-specific one. However, they can be limited in terms of the monetary benefit provided. You can get the best possible health cover by having both as per your requirement.
