Importance of Health Card

What is a Health Card?

A health card is an identity card issued by your insurance company at the time of buying the health policy. It acts as proof of your health insurance coverage and must be presented at the hospital to avail cashless treatment. Hospitals and healthcare providers can check the validity of your health insurance policy with the help of your health card.

Moreover, a health card can help you in the reimbursement of claims by reducing the paperwork. Besides, you need to submit a copy of your health card at the time of filing a reimbursement claim with your insurer.

What Does a Health Card Contain?

The information available on a health card may vary from one insurer to another. Generally, a health card contains the following information:

• Full name of the insured
• Date of birth of the insured
• Name of the health insurance company
• Your mediclaim policy number
• Sum insured of the policy
• Policy commencement date
• Type of health insurance policy
• Due date of the policy

Moreover, a digital health ID card also stores the medical records of the cardholder.

What is a Digital Health ID Card?

A digital health ID card is an online health ID card that contains the medical records of the cardholder, including doctor's prescriptions, consultation papers, treatment details and test reports. It is a unique 14-digit number used to identify people and access their medical records anytime, anywhere. A digital health ID card eliminates the need to carry your medical records physically.

You can apply for a digital health ID card by providing basic details like your phone number or Aadhaar number. Once your digital health ID has been created, you can link your medical records and share them with anyone as and when required.

Why Should You Have a Health Card?

Check out some of the key benefits of having a health card:

1. Acts As a Medical ID Card

   During hospitalization, a health card serves as a medical identity card that helps hospital staff to identity you, your insurer and obtain details of your mediclaim policy. Thus, it helps to speed up the hospitalization process.

2. Access to Cashless Treatment

   A cashless health insurance card can be used to avail cashless treatment at any hospital or network provider of your insurance company. It saves you from the hassles of paying upfront for your medical treatment as the insurance company takes care of the hospital bills. Besides, you need to mandatorily show your health card at a hospital to avail cashless hospital.

3. Easier to Contact the Insurer

   Having a health card makes it easier for you to get in touch with your insurer. This is because the card will have contact details of your insurance company that can come in handy during medical emergencies.

4. Quick Access to Policy Details

   With a health card, you can easily access your medical insurance policy details without the hassle of going through the policy document. This is because your health card will have details of your mediclaim policy, including your policy number, sum insured, type of coverage and the policy due date.

5. Verifies Eligibility of the Claim

   A health card enables hospital staff to quickly verify your eligibility for a treatment. They can use the card to validate the claim with your insurer and start the treatment without any delay.

6. Involves Minimal Paperwork

   A health insurance card reduces the paperwork required during claims and ensures faster settlement of claims. It does not require you to submit several documents to confirm your identity and the validity of your mediclaim policy.

7. No Need to Carry Documents

   A digital health ID card can be used to share your medical records with your insurance company online. Thus, you no longer need to physically carry all your health records with you.

Tips for Efficient Use of Your Health Card

Here are a few tips for an efficient use of your health insurance card:

• Make sure to always carry your health card with you so you can access it easily during medical emergencies. You can also store the e-health card on your phone or laptop.
• Read the terms and conditions of your policy carefully to clearly know what your policy covers or does not cover as well as the claim settlement process of your insurer.
• Inform your insurer about your emergency hospitalization within 24 hours and planned hospital admission at least 48 hours prior.
• Prefer cashless claims over reimbursement claims to avoid out-of-pocket expenses.
• Check your documents and medical bills carefully before submitting them for the reimbursement of your claims.
• Check the status of your claim and follow up with your insurer in case of any delay.
• Make sure to renew your policy on time to avoid it from getting lapsed.
• Review the coverage of your policy periodically and upgrade/port your policy if required.