Upgrade Your Health Insurance Cover To Reduce The Risks From Increased Pollution

According to a study conducted by Central pollution Control Board, there are 41 cities in India where the quality of the air and water is poor. Air and water pollution lead to several health problems that are life threatening, such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular, and diarrhoea, and more.

The medical cost for such treatments can be high and even raise the need for a health insurance policy. It is recorded that within three years, there is a shift in water and air pollution scale from 15 to 18% and 12 to 15% respectively, which is quite alarming.

Let us talk about data taken from the top general insurance company in India:

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company’s head Mr. Abhijeet Ghosh said that the average claim size ranges between Rs. 25,000 to 28,000 annually, whereas Future Generali India Insurance shared that claim size related to respiratory, pulmonary disorder has increased from 4.30% to 7.5% within three years. ICICI Lombard General Insurance also shared the report of increasing number of claims, majorly related to health hazards arising from consuming contaminated water and breathing in the polluted environment. It is recorded that hospitalization expenses have been increased from Rs. 41,391 to Rs. 45,104 between the years 2015 and 2016. The major reason behind the increasing needs of health insurance is the expensive medical cost in India.

Cause of Disease	Claim Count	Avg. Claim Amount	Claim Count	Avg. Claim Count
Air Pollution	1302	69535	1479	78036
Drinking Water	2451	24020	3345	25261
Indoor Air Pollution	847	34312	818	33826
Major Environmental Components	2525	35170	2803	40516
Sanitation	15	39976	10	32762
Water Pollution	497	45331	528	60225
Total Claims/avg. Claim amount	7637	41391	8983	45104

Rise in the Pollution-related Claim in a year

Studies conducted by CSE India, State of India's Health Report, 2015 have stated that air and water pollution is the fifth biggest cause of deaths in India. According to a research, it is recorded that around 6, 20,000 premature deaths are due to stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections, lung cancer, and bronchus.

Water-borne diseases are also among the major causes of deaths in India. It is also recorded that about 37.7 million Indians get affected by water-borne diseases every year.

It is quite evident that pollution has led to an increase in health hazardous diseases, and therefore, it is very important to have a health insurance policy that can provide financial aid during medical emergencies.

Need of Health Insurance

Health insurance plans help an insured person to live a secure life and achieve peace of mind. It offers financial aid, in case an insured person faces an unfortunate event like a medical emergency. Our hectic schedules and eating habits have also made us prone to diseases that are caused by air and water pollution.

A health insurance policy offers several other benefits, such as cashless hospitalization, room rent, medication expenses, ambulance charges, etc. if a policyholder faces a medical emergency.

Check the benefits and coverage offered by a health insurance policy, which is important to fight against health hazards caused by pollution:

Cashless Hospitalization

There are network hospitals that offer the cashless facility to a policyholder, in case he or she meets a medical emergency. Network hospitals are hospitals that are empanelled with an insurance company to provide additional benefits. Policyholders can avail cashless treatment at network hospitals of the insurance company.

Pre and Post-Hospitalization Expenses

Apart from hospitalization expenses, there are several other expenses that incur when the person gets hospitalized. A health insurance policy will cover the expense incurred before and after the hospitalization of the insured person. It covers the expenses for a specific number of days as mentioned in the policy wording.

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Room Rent

A health insurance policy also bears the cost of room rent incurred due to policyholder’s hospitalization. The type of room for which the rent is covered is different under different health insurance policies but pre-specified in the documents of every policy.

Ambulance Expenses

Ambulance charges incurred due to hospitalization are covered by health insurance policies. Some plans cover the total cost incurred for availing ambulance facility and a certain share of the particle amount.

Domiciliary Expenses

There are important therapies and exercises that are important for a patient after he or she is discharged from the hospital. Health insurance policies cover the cost of the domiciliary treatment.

A health insurance policy helps you and your family to live a secure life in today’s polluted environment. Make sure you and your family are covered by an adequate health insurance policy, which covers diseases caused by pollution of different types.