New Delhi: With medical costs going through the roof, patients are in the frantic on looking for options that could save family budget from expenditures that cannot be done away due to the necessary procedures which the patients have to undergo.
The traditional health insurance plans have been a solution until now, but for the high sum of premium that one has to pay, the savings ensured are more or less the same the amount one has to pay. Here, the Health Cards are coming up as a popular choice.
What is a health card?
These health cards do not cover the entire hospitalization charges but are essentially discount cards that give up to 50% off on the total bills among the leading hospitals and wellness centres such as spa and gym in the city.
Offered by Medical Second Opinion is the Freedom Health Card that has been creating buzz in the city of Jaipur. The cost of membership to the card is Rs 1500 annually per person. Giving a discount of up to 50% on OPD, IPD, diagnostics, pharmacy, spa, gym and other wellness centres, this card can be used in major hospitals and diagnostic centres in the Pink city.
Insurance plans with a bigger cover
One may point that there are a lot of insurance plans that are offering hospitalisation and OPD treatment costs on a cashless basis on its network hospitals. The plans are also coming in with a cover to pharmacy, diagnostics, dental and even optical treatments. What sets them apart from the common man's reach is the high cost of premium that it demands with a reasonable limit to the coverage.
But with increasing age the amount of OPD premium is often more than or even equal to the cover. This can be well provided in addition to the other plans so that other risks get equally covered by this plan should a situation arise.
Where the OPD insurance lags behind
The crucial benefits that the health card has over the insurance plans that cover OPD and other services is the conditions the latter come with. In a limited coverage that is bought at a premium much higher than the cost of a health card, the riders are many. Not only is there a limit to the number of visits one can make under the plan, the plan also restricts the usage to individuals up to a certain age limit, which in most cases is 35 years.
Within a limited expanse of coverage, the volume of transaction in the OPD plans have to be higher in order to cut through the coverage effectively. However, there is always a limit to their cover. For patients who do utilise this cover completely, they have to consume this plan just the right amount to ensure optimum benefit.
The premium also varies in accordance to the age of the person, with an extremely extensive exclusion list, including laboratory investigations, psychiatric illnesses and post surgery continuum of care treatment.
The course of taking the benefits is also a lengthy process with an insurance plan. In a country where only around 12% of the population has an insurance plan and 75% of medical transactions are dealt with cash out of pocket.
How to use the card?
The transaction time to receive the cover in an insurance plan deters a lot of users from using their health plans, especially for a short course investigation such as OPD or the pharmacy visit. The process invariably is accompanied with filling multiple forms and their submission to the hospital and the insurance agency.
On the contrary, the health card is an immediate transaction assistance that the user holds. In order to receive a discount on their medical bills, the user needs to produce the Freedom Health Card at the empanelled hospital along with an identity proof and receive a cut in their total bills with immediate effect.
Where to get the card?
The Health Card by Medical Second Opinion is available for users in the city of Jaipur.
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