Corona Kavach Insurance

Corona Kavach Policy is designed to offers financial support to the insured in case he/she is diagnosed COVID-19 positive. It has with a short waiting period, and provides coverage for in-patient hospitalisation (IPD) expenses, pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation expenses, ambulance expenses, etc. as per the recommendations of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

Corona Kavach Policy is an affordable health insurance policy designed to offer financial protection against medical expenses arising due to pandemic declared coronavirus (COVID-19). Launched by the IRDAI on 12th July, 2020, the policy is offered by both general and health insurance companies. It is a short-term indemnity-based policy that protects both individuals and families. Besides hospitalisation costs, this policy also cover the insured for homecare, pre-hospitalisation, and post-hospitalisation expenses, Ayush, etc. The policy promises a wide coverage and quality medical treatment to the insured. A Covid Kavach Insurance covers the policyholder for any comorbid medical conditions due to coronavirus during the hospitalization period

Corona Kavach Policy for COVID-19 comes with specific features and benefits which are mentioned below:

• Corona Kavach Insurance covers hospitalization expenses including co-morbidities, room rent, nursing & ICU cost, surgeon’s & doctor’s consultation fees etc.
• Policyholder need to pay premium amount once at a time while buying the Corona Kavach Policy
• Certain insurers cover Corona virus treatment expenses up to a period of 14 days
• The policy comes without any capping on the room rent
• AYUSH treatments expenses including Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy, are covered
• Emergency ambulance service is cover up to a certain limit
• This health insurance plan takes care of basic health-related cases of COVID-19
• It is a standard policy with common wordings throughout the industry
• The policy has tenure of 3 ½ months, 6 ½ months, and 9 ½ months, which is 105 days, 195 days, and 285 days respectively
• The validity of these guidelines is till 31st March 2021

Corona Kavach policy is being offered by all General & Standalone health insurance companies in India. The premium payable varies based on the sum insured and the number of member insured. Below listed is Corona Kavach Premium Chart of some leading insurer:

List of inclusions that come under Corona Kavach Policy are:

• Covid Hospitalistaion Expense Cover: This policy is an indemnity-based policy that covers the hospitalisation expenses incurred due to coronavirus treatment
• Ambulance Cover: The road ambulance costs up to Rs 2,000 is covered for the transportation of patient to a hospital
• Hospital Cash Benefit: A daily cash benefit up to 0.5% of the sum insured as Hospital Cash Benefit up to certain days as specified in the policy document
• Home Treatment Cover: Depending on the condition of the patient, the policy also covers the treatment availed at home for 14 days. Home care treatment is covered in case the patient is availing coronavirus treatment at home
• Pre-Hospitalisation Cover: Policy covers the medical expenses such as consultation fees, diagnostic tests, check-ups up tp 15 days prior to hospitalisation
• Post-Hospitalisation Cover: This policy covers the post hospitalisation expenses incurred up to 30 days from the date of discharge from hospital
• AYUSH Treatment Cover: Corona Kavach policy covers AYUSH treatment expenses, including- Ayurveda, Unani, Sidha, Homeopathy treatment- taken at an authorised hospital.
• No Deductible: The sum insured can be availed from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lacs. However, there are no deductibles.
• ICU Expense Cover: Plan covers ICU cover, as COVID patients most of the time need to be admitted in the ICU. The expenses are undoubtedly at the higher side.
• No Cap on Room Rent: Some insurers come without any capping on room rent while hospitalised, if opting for a single private room.

Although the Corona Kavach Policy provides comprehensive coverage to the insured, yet there are certain things which are excluded.

Key exclusions under the Corona Kavach policy are as follows:

• OPD and Daycare Procedures - Corona Kavach Policy does not cover any expenses incurred on to OPD and daycare procedures Investigation And Evaluation - The insured is not covered for any treatment that is undertaken primarily for diagnostic and evaluation purposes.
• Rest Cure, Rehabilitation, And Respite Care - The covid kavach policy does not cover expenses incurred on hospitalisations for the purposes of rest, rehabilitation, or respite care, costs for custodial care.
• Testing at unauthorized Hospital - Claim for Coronavirus prior to policy initiation is not covered. Also hospitalisation needing for less than 24 hours is admission is also excluded. Further, if case the testing is done at any unauthorized hospital or health centre, then the claim arising from it will also not be entertained.
• Outside India treatment - Availing treatment for COVID-19 out of India is not covered under the Corona Kavach Insurance

Document checklist you need to remember when buying Corona Kavach Policy are:

• Proof of Identity - The insurance provider uses identity proof of the policyholder to maintain records. Identity proof documents required for buying Covid Kavach policy are: Aadhaar Card, Passport, Voter ID Card or Driving License.
• Proof of Age – This is one of the essential documents required to be furnished at the time of buying Covid Kavach insurance. Document accepted for as a proof of age of insured are; Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, Passport, Driver’s License, Voter ID Card and Birth Certificate.
• Proof of Address - At the time of purchasing Corona Kavach, the address proof is one of the essential documents required for health insurance. Few documents you can provide as address proof are; Driving license, Ration Card, Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Passport, Rent agreement (if applicable),Utility bills like electricity bill or telephone bill.
• Other Important Documents - Apart from the above mentioned documents, here are some other important documents required for health insurance: Passport-size photographs (if asked for by the insurer), Medical reports (if insurer demands) and a duly filled-in and signed Proposal form.

Buying Corona Kavach Policy online is quite easy. Here are the steps of buying this policy from SecureNow:

• Visit www.securenow.in
• Go to ‘Individual InsurancebeInsurance’, and them to ‘Corona Kavach Insurance’
• Explore the apt plans by providing your basic information such as name, age, contact number, requirement of insurance etc.
• The online calculator will suggest the plans based on your needs, along with their coverage and premiums.
• Find the plan that best suits your requirements, pay the premiums online safely using a debit/credit card or net banking.

The claim process of the Corona Kavach Policy is same as any other health insurance policy. Policyholder can be claimed either for cashless or for reimbursement benefits. The steps involving the claim process are mentioned below:

• To start, inform the insurer promptly when a claim arises. The claim initiation time window depends on the type of hospitalisation has the be maintained. In case of planned and emergency hospitalisation this window is 72 hours and 24 hours respectively.
• In case of cashless claim, a pre-authorisation letter has to be submitted seeking cashless claim permission from the insurance provider. In the case of reimbursement, the hospital bills are paid by the insured on his/her own initially and register a claim later.
• On approval of the claim request, the insurer settles the hospital dues directly or reimburses the expenses up to an sum assured amount.