Accessing health insurance for the elderly is a challenge rather than the convenience it is meant to be. Considering their risk and vulnerability are higher, with most having a pre-existing condition, policies have low coverage, high premium and long waiting periods. Then there are other deterrents like caps on treatment costs according to specific diseases, room rent restrictions, caps on pre- and post-hospitalization care, OPD visits and so on. With a heavy burden of out-of-pocket expenses, most of the elderly even give up treatment protocols midway. Now that the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has asked insurance companies to offer their usual health policies to 65-plus citizens with easy explanation of the various terms & conditions.
“There are many ifs and buts. Sometimes after prescribing a test, you come to know it is not covered by a policy. Or there are limits to cost reimbursements and the number of days one can be admitted — this is a challenge for the elderly because they tend to need longer hospital stays. There should be policies that provide comprehensive coverage, including services such as preventive health check-ups and immunisation,”