If you have purchased a health insurance policy or searched about it online, chances are you have already come across the term ‘health insurance card’ or ‘health card’. These are identity proofs issued by the health insurance provider at the point of policy purchase or renewal. It contains some basic details about you and your ongoing insurance plan. However, if you have not yet received your card or looking to learn more about it, this article will provide you with detailed information on health insurance cards.
Considering the steep inflation in the medical sector, maintaining at least one health insurance has become a necessity to efficiently manage unforeseen medical emergencies. If you maintain a health plan, you have come across a health insurance card.
A health insurance card is a photo identity proof held by the policyholder. It holds all the personal details of the policyholder, the plan details along with the coverage span details of the concerned insurance plan.
On presenting this card, the hospital authorities will decode and analyse the card details digitally and continue accordingly. This card is extremely important in the case of any health insurance claim settlement.
This article will highlight all the relevant aspects and importance of health insurance card.
The importance of a health insurance card cannot be exaggerated. It is very significant and essential. Some of the most highlighting features of a health insurance card include the following:
Easy accessibility to quality cashless medical facilities: Your health insurance card is the key to your smooth hospitalisation and treatment procedures. You can use this card at any network hospital across the country to avail cashless benefits without having to pay for the expenses upfront.
Convenience: With the help of a health insurance card, you can easily contact your concerned insurance provider during emergencies easily.
Details: A health insurance card is the storehouse of information of the policyholder. A simple digital decoding will reveal all the relevant details that are essential during hospitalisation, especially during cashless treatment.
Wide usage: A standard health insurance card can be used throughout the country. If you unfortunately need hospitalisation during any faraway trip, you can receive cashless medical facilities if you manage to carry your card along with you.
Some of the most significant benefits of health insurance cards include the following:
Easy accessibility to a cashless treatment facility: Health insurance cards are indispensable in availing cashless medical treatment facilities. Once you are admitted to a network hospital you have to produce your health insurance card for smooth and easy claim settlement. You may even receive accidental coverage for your existing plan.
Easy connectivity with the insurance provider: With the help of your health insurance card, you can easily contact your respective health insurance provider during emergencies. The card usually mentions an emergency number. You can personally inform the company regarding your hospitalisation at the earliest. This will smoothen and quicken the claim settlement process.
Policy details at your fingertips: As mentioned earlier, your health insurance card is the storehouse of information. All you need is to mention either your policy number or your unique customer identification number to reveal your records. During emergencies, searching for the policy papers might prove to be challenging. Having this small card is enough.
Identity card for cashless treatment facilities: Your cashless hospitalisation facilities are doubled once the hospital authorities match your health insurance card details with your identity proof. This eventually quickens the claim settlement procedure.
Mentions the validity date: Your health insurance card details also mention your plan's validity. Once it expires and you renew your plan or purchase a new one, a new card is issued. The previous card becomes automatically invalid.
Claim eligibility clarification: Your health insurance card will establish the extent of your eligibility validating your claim during claim settlement. It is the key to check your background and confirm your future claims to be authentic and genuine to get approval for cashless treatment.
From the discussion so far, it is evident that having a health insurance card in your possession is as important as having a health insurance plan. The major aspects of the importance of health insurance cards are as follows:
Allows cashless hospitalisation throughout the country: If you manage to carry your health insurance card always, you ensure to receive cashless treatment facilities at any network hospital anywhere in the country. If your plan and provider allow international coverage, the card’s validity extends there too.
Houses all the relevant details: All the relevant records and details are stored on the card. A simple digital decoding will reveal your plan details, your personal details along with other relevant information all at your fingertips.
User-friendly: A health insurance card is much easier to carry around than actual hardcopy documents of your health plan. They are inconvenient too especially during emergencies. Producing this small, pocket-fitting card during admission to any network hospital is enough and will easily serve your purpose.
A health insurance policy card contains vital information regarding the details of the policyholder concerned and the existing health plan that he/she is currently maintaining. Some of the most significant information that this card holds are:
Full name of the policyholder/cardholder
DOB of the policyholder
Type of health plan chosen by the policyholder
Total amount of sum insured as per the chosen health policy
The policy number of the current health insurance plan
The validity tenure of the concerned health plan
Last but not least, the name of the concerned insurance provider
Utilising the health insurance card details becomes very essential and crucial for availing of cashless treatment facilities.
A health insurance card is essential for gaining access to the advantages of your medical insurance coverage. Here are a few of the most important health card perks to be informed of:
Your health insurance card comes in handy in the case of cashless hospitalisation and claim settlement. By simply producing your health card, you are eligible to receive cashless treatment facilities at any network hospital across the country and even beyond, depending on the nature of your chosen health insurance plan. The hospital authorities will initially send a pre-authorisation document to your respective insurance provider to validate the details as recorded on the card. Once the insurance company approves this, all your relevant bills will be automatically reimbursed by the hospital authorities.
A health insurance policy card contains all the relevant information regarding the policy details, including its validity. You can easily acquire significant gist of your plan details like the policy category, plan number, plan term, the total amount of sum insured, etc. It helps you remember the expiry date of the plan so that you can renew it within the stipulated time limit. You can even know the current status of your concerned health plan.
Most health insurance policy cards contain an emergency contact number to contact your respective insurance provider easily. It comes in handy, especially during medical contingencies. You must inform your insurance provider at the earliest in the case of both emergencies as well as scheduled hospitalisation. This ensures and validates comparatively faster claim settlements.
Once you complete purchasing your chosen health insurance plan, your respective insurance provider will shortly send you the policy documents and your health policy card to your registered email address. You can easily download these documents and the health insurance card online to keep them safe in your possession.
The soft copy of the health policy card is also enough to be produced at any network hospital to avail of cashless treatment benefits.
If you have not received this card, you can contact your respective insurance provider on their toll-free number or email, or their official website to solve the issue. Be it soft or hard, it is crucial that you need to hold a copy of this card.
Certain insurance companies provide individual health cards for every individual member covered under a family health plan.
We have tried to establish the significance, importance and benefits of having the health insurance card that has been issued by your health insurance provider. It is the validation for receiving cashless treatment at any network hospital anywhere in the country or beyond if your plan permits it. The usage of health insurance cards in India is gaining gradual popularity with the increase in acquiring health plans, especially after the pandemic outbreak in 2020.
Yes, once the policy purchase is complete, the insurance provider will send the policy papers and the health insurance card to your registered email address. It is essential to hold the card. In case you do not receive it, contact the respective insurance company to sort out the issue at the earliest.
A health insurance policy card is issued during the time of new policy purchases or during the renewal of the existing plan(s). Once a new card is issued after renewal, the old card automatically becomes invalid.
The insurance provider usually sends a softcopy of the health insurance card which you can easily store in your phone. The hard copy version is not always necessary. However, if you lose it, contact your insurance provider for a duplicate card.
The validity of the health insurance card is determined by the validity of the concerned insurance plan. It usually runs for 1 year. Once you renew the plan, a new card is issued, while the old one automatically becomes null and void.
Usually yes. However, you must clarify it with your respective health insurance provider to avoid any misunderstanding.
A valid policyholder receives the health insurance policy card, after completing the policy purchase. However, certain insurance companies issue separate health insurance cards for every individual member covered under a family floater plan.
