What is Coronavirus?
The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air, and quickly fall on floors or surfaces. You can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are within close proximity of someone who has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then your eyes, nose or mouth.
The common symptoms of coronavirus include dry cough, fever, and fatigue. The serious symptoms of coronavirus include chest pain, shortness of breath, and loss of speech or movement. Elderly people and others with underlying medical problems in the likes of cancer and diabetes are susceptible to develop serious complications.
Coronavirus Symptoms
- Step-1 - day-1 Patients experience fever and possibly also fatigue, muscle pain and a dry cough A few may have had diarrhoea or nausea 1-2 days before.
- Step-2 - day-5 Patients who are older or have pre-existing conditions have difficulty breathing.
- Step-3 - day-7 Patients with breathing difficulties are admitted to hospital,but most patients symptoms start to diminish.
- Step-4 - day-8 Severe cases develop signs of acute respiratory distress syndrome, where lungs can't provide vital organs with enough oxygen.
- Step-5 - day-10 Patients with worsening breathing problems enter intensive care.
- Step-6 - day-12 Fever usually ends but cough may linger on In survivors difficulty breathing ceases after about 13 days, while the average time to death is 18.5 days.
How to Protect Yourself from Coronavirus?
Stay at Home
Stay home if you feel unwell.If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing,seek medical attention and call in advance.Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Social distancing
Keep six feet distance with anyone who displays symptoms of coronavirus such as coughing and sneezing.
Hand Washing
Use an alcohol-based sanitizer or soap and water to clean your hands 9-10 times a day.
Cover your mouth and nose
Keep wearing a face mask to cover your nose and mouth while out of the home.
Use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth while cough and sneezing, else, do so into your flexed elbow.
What is the Government’s Advice on Coronavirus?
- Follow lockdown guidelines by staying at home as much as possible.
- Exempting medical, media, and essential services, resort to working from home.
- Practice a physical distancing of two meters between fellow humans while venturing out
- Do not visit friends, families, or hold large gatherings.
- Sanitize your hands often.
- Wear a face mask mandatorily when out of home.
- Eat a healthy diet to improve immunity.
What is the Aarogya Setu App? How Does Aarogya Setu Detect Corona?
The Aarogya Setu is an application software designed to track COVID patients to alert the healthy when they come in contact with the patients. To detect coronavirus, the AarogyaSetu leverages the user’s mobile Bluetooth and GPS services to locate the coordinates of the people with and without the virus. This way, the healthy person is alerted when coming in contact or moving towards a COVID patient.
What is Included in Coronavirus Insurance?
Inpatient Hospitalization
Inpatient hospitalization care refers to the twenty-four-hour medication or more during which the patient is treated for COVID-19 or any other disease. If hospitalization does not extend for twenty-four-hours or more, it will not be considered as inpatient hospitalization.
Pre-hospitalization
All medical cares offered to alleviate a patient's COVID condition and other illnesses before hospitalization refers to pre-hospitalization. Expenses in the form of medicines, vaccinations, medical tests, and the doctor's fee incurred during this tenure will be covered under pre-hospitalization costs.
Post-hospitalization
After being discharged from the hospital, COVID survivors can procure medical support in their homes. Any medical expense that occurs for the next 45 – 90 days after the treatment of the diagnosed disease can be counted as a post-hospitalization expense.
COVID-19 Health Insurance Policy
Coronavirus is covered under a health insurance policy, a policy must be minimum 30 days old.
With the COVID 19 spreading so rapidly, the health and lives of people in the country are constantly at risk. The numbers of infected people are rising exponentially, and hospitalization is becoming imperative for all. The medical industry experts are predicting that numbers will increase and almost 60-70% of the population will be affected, which may include you too.
The question is; are you secured financially to cover those medical expenses?
Yes, you are if you already have a health insurance policy. Your existing policy, be it an individual health plan, family floater plan or a group policy, acts as your COVID 19 health insurance. Even if you purchased a policy before testing positive for coronavirus, you could avail the insurance benefits, as your health insurance is meant to cover the viral infections too.
Therefore, the medical expenses you incur for the treatment of coronavirus infection will be reimbursed by your insurance provider. However, if you purchase coronavirus insurance after getting tested positive for COVID 19, then you will not be covered for the treatment as the policy comes in effect only after a waiting period, like any other medical insurance in India.
You must note that only the necessary hospitalization expenses for coronavirus treatment are met under your health insurance policy, which includes ICU charges and diagnostic tests.
That said, some insurance providers are offering insurance for COVID 19 laced with enhanced and specific features, which you need to buy as a shield before you are tested positive.
The Key Aspects of Coronavirus Health Insurance Plans
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Waiting Period
Similar to most of the medical insurance plans, the coronavirus insurance plans propose a waiting period of 15 days. However, some insurance providers choose a variable, and they offer 14-16 days waiting period for coronavirus health insurance, for example, Star Health Insurance. We advise you to check the plans carefully for the waiting period clause before you buy your health insurance for coronavirus.
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Sum Insured
You always have an option to go for a higher sum insured by paying a little higher premium. With the current scenario, when COVID 19 is claiming many lives, it is always advisable to opt for maximum coverage to stay financially secure. When the insured is hospitalized for twenty-four hours, he/she is eligible to claim 100% of the sum. Moreover, while under the quarantine, the insured can claim up to 100% of the assured sum but have to pay the loading charges.
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Coverage
All coronavirus insurance plans cover the expenses of hospitalization, ICU room rents, OPD charges, and ambulance charges along with post-hospitalization care expenses.
Now you know how the insurance for COVID 19 gives you special coverage in contrast to nominal health insurance policy. Let us also take you through the best COVID-19 insurance policy available in the market to help you secure yourself in this time of crisis.
COVID-19 Health Insurance
Key features of “Corona Kavach” are as under:
| Product Type | Available on Individual and Family Floater Basis |
|---|---|
| Type of Cover |
|
| Sum insured | Rs 50,000/- (Fifty Thousand) to 5,00,000/- (Five Lakh) (in the multiples of fifty thousand) |
| Waiting Period | 15 days |
| Policy Period | Three and Half Months (3 ½ months), Six and Half Months(6 ½ months), Nine and Half Months (9 ½ months) including waiting period. |
| Eligibility |
Policy can be availed by persons between the age of 18 to 65 years. Policy can be availed for Self, spouse, Parents, Parents-in-law and Dependent Children up to 25 years of age. |
| Hospitalization Expenses | Medical Expenses of Hospitalization on diagnosis of Covid shall be admissible |
| Pre Hospitalization Expenses | 15 days |
| Post Hospitalization Expenses | 30 days |
| Sub-limits |
|
| Home Care Treatment Expenses | Cost of treatment incurred by the Insured person on availing treatment at home for Covid on positive diagnosis up to 14 days per incident, which in the normal course would require care and treatment at a hospital but is actually taken while confined at home. |
| Premium payment | Single Premium |
| Hospital | For the purpose of this policy any set-up designated by the government as hospital for the treatment of Covid shall also be also considered as hospital. |
| Co-morbidities | Any co-morbid condition triggered due to Covid-19 shall be covered during the period of hospitalization. |
| Sl. No | Name of Insurer |
|---|---|
| 1 | Acko General Insurance Ltd. |
| 2 | Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 3 | Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co Ltd. |
| 4 | Bharti AXA General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 5 | Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 6 | Edelweiss General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 7 | Future Generali India Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 8 | Go Digit General Insurance Ltd. |
| 9 | HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co.Ltd. |
| 10 | HDFC ERGO Health Insurance Limited |
| 11 | ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. |
| 12 | IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 13 | Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 14 | Liberty General Insurance Ltd. |
| 15 | Magma HDI General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 16 | ManipalCigna Health Insurance Company Limited |
| 17 | Max Bupa Health Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 18 | Navi General Insurance Ltd. |
| 19 | National Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 20 | Raheja QBE General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 21 | Reliance General Insurance Co.Ltd. |
| 22 | Religare Health Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 23 | Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 24 | SBI General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 25 | Star Health & Allied Insurance Co.Ltd. |
| 26 | Tata AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 27 | The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. |
| 28 | The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 29 | United India Insurance Co. Ltd. |
| 30 | Universal Sompo General Insurance Co. Ltd. |
Best COVID-19 Group Health Insurance Policy
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GoDigit Insurance
GoDigit Insurance offers coronavirus insurance plans to protect individuals afflicted by the virus. Upon filing the claim, the insured can receive an assured 100% of the sum when he/she tests positive for the coronavirus. People up to 60 years of age are eligible to avail of this insurance. The waiting period is fifteen days, and the sum insured is between INR 50,000 and INR 3,00,000. Godigit also provide policy for the event of death due to coronavirus.
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ICICI Lombard Health Insurance
ICICI’s coronavirus insurance is designed particularly for those who have tested positive for the virus. It guarantees a 100% sum upon diagnosis. People between the age group of eighteen and 60 are eligible for this plan. It follows a waiting period protocol of 14 days, and the insured sum is INR 25,000 to 1,00,000
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Star Health Insurance Coronavirus Insurance
To those who have been tested positive for the virus and have been hospitalized, the Star Health Insurance Coronavirus Insurance assures a lump sum benefit. To claim the sum, the insured need not even undergo any medical testing or screening. Those between the age group of eighteen and sixty-five are eligible to procure the offer. It proposes a waiting period of sixteen days, and the sum insured comes with two options of INR 21,000 and INR 42,000.
Another crucial aspect of insurance buying is to understand the inclusions and exclusions. Coronavirus health insurances also reflect the same.
Inclusions
- Inpatient Hospitalization
- Pre-hospitalization
- Accidental Hospitalization
- Daycare Procedures
- Ambulance
- ICU Room Rent
- Organ Donor Cover
- Post Hospitalization
- Second Medical Opinion
Exclusions
- Quarantining at Home
- Non-listed or Non-recognized Quarantine Facility
- Pre-existing Diseases
- Pre and Post Natal Care
- Hospitalization without Doctor’s Prescription or Recommendation
Documents Needed to Avail Health Insurance for COVID 19
- Age Proof: You can use your birth certificate, or voter’s ID or PAN card to produce a proof for your age
- Identify Proof: Your passport or Aadhar card or driving license would do as photo identity proof
- Address Proof: Your ration card or electric bill would serve as your address proof
- Medical Reports: While buying coronavirus-specific, you would be asked to submit your previous medical reports
Take all these documents with you while availing your health insurance.
In case, if you are wondering about your existing insurances fending coverages for COVID-19, look into the following FAQ section and clear your doubts.
Q1. Are deaths under the COVID-19 infection covered in life insurance plans?
Life term insurance policyholders have clarified that deaths due to the novel coronavirus are covered under the life term policy. COVID-19 related deaths would be treated in par with general forms of death. Insured can avail the sum only if the insured was tested positive post the policy issuance and the culmination of the waiting period of one year. Nevertheless, COVID-19 deaths would not be funded by any special terms and conditions.
According to the guidelines stipulated by the IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India), all funding claims concerning the COVID-19 are liable to be covered under all standard health plans. All the features you've procured under your regular health insurance policy would apply to your COVID-19 treatments as well. However, to fund your treatments with medical insurance, you should have at least been hospitalized for twenty-four hours, during which all your pre and post hospitalization expenses would be covered for.
Yes, if you test positive for the virus and find it beyond you to procure treatments and facilities, your insurance service provider would supply you with evacuation and repatriation benefits.
No. Preventive medical assistance is not covered by the need-based COVID-19 insurances.
Ideally, your insurance provider must cover the road ambulance charges. However, inclusions tend to vary from one service provider to the other. So, it would be best to ask your insurance provider about this.
As per the IDP benefit, when under the quarantine, all your expenses would be covered for.
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