Importance of Covid-19 Coverage Under Group Health Insurance Policy

It is March 2021 now and companies have started calling their employees to the office. Also, there is a vaccine for Covid-19 that was launched on January 16, 2021. Although it is not the end of the pandemic, companies must start providing Covid-19 group health insurance policies to their employees. So, what is the Covid-19 group health insurance policy, you might ask.

It is a group health insurance plan that is designed to provide coverage for the employees of a company from the risk of Coronavirus. The policy specifically provides coverage for the medical expenses that occurred in the treatment of Covid-19. To be sure, do a cross-check if your group health insurance policy is either Corona Rakshak or Corona Kavach.

Importance of Covid-19 Group Health Insurance

It is a communicable disease that can spread through human contact. Of course, people are taking various precautions like wearing masks, washing hands frequently and using hand sanitizer to prevent the virus from spreading but all these precautions are not enough to prevent the virus from spreading totally.

Although the vaccination drive in India has begun, it is going to take its time to reach out to everybody in India. The companies have also started calling out their employees to work from offices, which makes them more prone to contracting Coronavirus disease. So, keeping this in mind, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) made it compulsory for all companies to provide group health insurance policies against Coronavirus disease. The companies will only be allowed to begin their in-office operations when this condition is met. Hence, it is not just important but mandatory for employers to provide a Corona-specific group health insurance policy. Moving on to benefits of Covid-19 group health insurance policy.

Benefits of Covid-19 Group Health Insurance Policy

The covid-19 group health insurance policy comes with several benefits. Here are some of those benefits of purchasing a group health insurance policy.

Made Compulsory by IRDAI

As per the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India orders in April 2020, it has been made compulsory for all employers to provide Covid-19 group health insurance policy to their employees. Otherwise, the employer won’t be allowed to start their in-office operations.

Covers Medical Expenses

If your company provides the Covid-19 group health insurance policy, it will provide cover for your medical expenses in case you get infected by the Coronavirus. The medical expenses after getting hospitalized can go up to 20-25 lakh, the insurance policy will help you manage the expenses.

Sense of Security

The covid-19 group health insurance policy will give the employees a sense of security too as the employee won’t have to pay for the expenses out of his pocket.

Covers Employee’s Dependents

The Covid-19 group health insurance policy not only provides cover for the employee but also his dependents. Employee’s wife, children and even parents will be covered under this policy.

Build Loyalty

Purchasing the Covid-19 group health insurance policy for the employees will make them feel secured and it will reflect a sense of care from the employer that will build their loyalty for the company. Caring about their well-being will make them feel valued. Hence they’ll keep on working for the company and don’t think about switching the job.

Inclusions & Exclusions

The coverage included in the Covid-19 group health insurance policy are as follows:

Pre & Post Hospitalization

The Covid-19 group health insurance policy provides coverage for the pre and post-hospitalization charges incurred in the treatment. The pre-hospitalization expenses are covered for 30 days and post-hospitalization expenses are covered for 30 to 60 days.

Road & Air Ambulance Charges

In case the insured had to use the Road or Air Ambulance to reach the hospital, the policy will cover its expenses.

Day-care Treatment

The Covid-19 group health insurance policy will provide cover for all kinds of day-care treatment.

Second Medical Opinion

In case you are not satisfied with the medical opinion given by the first doctor, you can always go for a second opinion on the treatment and the covid-19 group health insurance policy will cover you for that too.

The Coverage excluded in the Covid-19 group health insurance policy are as follows:

Pre-Existing Disease

This insurance policy does not provide coverage for any pre-existing diseases that the insured is suffering from. It will only cover the problem that occurred due to coronavirus.

Waiting Period

Some policies have an initial waiting period of 15 to 30 days whereas some insurance policies would not provide any claim under the covid-19 insurance even if it is for covid-19 treatment.

Maternity Cover & New Born Baby Cover

Most of the Covid-19 group health insurance policies do not provide cover for the medical expenses that occurred in maternity as well as the expenses that can come up for a newborn baby.

Healthcare Personnel

The Covid-19 group health insurance policy will not provide cover for any healthcare personnel who comes in direct contact any coronavirus-infected person.

Conclusion

The vaccination drive has begun but it will take a whole lot of time to vaccinate every individual in the country. It has been made mandatory by IRDAI for all the companies to purchase Covid-19 group health insurance plans for their employees. To choose the right insurance plan it is advised to make the purchase online after doing thorough research. If you’re an employer then consider it your duty to provide coverage for the expenses that can occur in the treatment of Covid-19.