Healthcare insured patients cough up more on OPD

Traditional health insurance policies not covering outpatient department services. ICICI Lombard's BeFit solution will offer customers coverage for their complete OPD requirements, on a cashless basis and they can avail an array of coverage across physical and virtual consultation by general, specialist and super-specialist doctors as well as physiotherapy sessions

Mumbai: Majority of health care expenses are incurred on outpatient department (OPD) services, which are not covered in traditional health insurance policies. Out of total Out Patient Expenses as incurred by a patient, while a whopping 57 per cent goes on pharmacy, 29 per cent is spent on doctor's consultation. Out of balance, eight per cent and six per cent are spent on diagnostics and preventives respectively, says a study by the country's largest private sector non-life insurer, ICICI Lombard. "Healthcare refers not merely to hospitalization, but also covers OPD and preventive health services," said Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard General Insurance .

The Covid pandemic has made us pay more attention to healthcare. While a lot has been said about the medical infrastructure related issues, an area that has not received much attention pertains to the challenges people face with regard to day-to-day medical problems. Further, as the pandemic has shown, many of us have fallen behind our fitness regime with easy to access facilities such as parks, jogging tracks, gyms, swimming pool etc. becoming inaccessible.

For a country that witnesses over 60 per cent of spends being paid out-of-pocket for regular medical expenses, not much has been done in this area.

To address this issue, ICICI Lombard, one of India's leading private general insurance company has introduced a unique solution – BeFit (serviced through its ILTakeCare app). It provides customers with the benefits of OPD services or doctor consultation, pharmacy and diagnostics services, and physiotherapy sessions in a cashless manner. What more, the solution empowers them to benefit from a host of wellness services. As good health and immunity gain importance, this comprehensive solution will come in handy now more than ever.

The BeFit solution will offer customers coverage for their complete OPD requirements, on a cashless basis. Customers can avail an array of coverage across physical and virtual consultation by general, specialist and super-specialist doctors as well as physiotherapy sessions. Catering to the other out-of-pocket expenses, the BeFit offering covers pharmacy and diagnostics services related expenses as also those related to minor procedures that do not need hospitalization.

ICICI Lombard's BeFit benefit along with the standard health insurance policy will provide the policyholder with 360-degree support that they require.

Talking about the new solution Mantri said, "The Covid pandemic has made consumers realise that health insurance does not end with having a cover just for hospitalization expenses. What is equally important is to have a solution that encourages the practice of good health on a day-to-day basis. Our new BeFit solution addresses this part as it provides cashless and contactless solutions to customers wanting to stay fit and address their medical problems at a nascent stage, without having to reach the stage of hospitalization. This comprehensive offering provides a digitally enabled health ecosystem which is integrated to bring more than 11,000+ doctors across cities."