Published in Mint on 2nd October 2017. Written by Abhishek Bondia.
Are expenses incurred for childbirth covered under health insurance, even if the hospitalisation was for less than 24 hours?
—Anandi Sharma
Maternity-related treatments are generally not classified as daycare treatments. So, the minimum requirement of 24 hours of hospitalisation is a must.
Typically, in private hospitals, a normal delivery is followed by 2 days of hospitalisation and C-section delivery is followed by 3 days of hospitalisation.
Do note that maternity is an add-on coverage to standard health insurance plans. Not all plans offer this coverage. Most plans that offer maternity benefit have a waiting period of 3-4 years.
I have a 500-square yard piece of land in Haryana. There is no construction or boundary wall on it. I wish to know if it can be insured against perils such as encroachment. If yes, what all will such a policy cover?
—Danish Shah
The general insurance policies available for property today primarily cover material damage. Losses that result in physical damage are covered under such policies. Disputes or threat to title or ownership of property are not covered.
Disputes regarding title of a property could be covered under policy known as ‘title insurance’.
Such a product is not available in the Indian market currently. However, the insurance regulator has initiated steps to encourage insurers to come up with such a product in near future.
I was suffering from muscle atrophy after a recent accident, and was unable to walk despite physiotherapy.
I was recommended Panchkarma treatment, which I received in a medical college under the care of an ayurvedic doctor. Will the cost be covered by my health insurance? Also, are there add-on covers for homeopathy?
—Chandra Prakash
Most health insurance plans do not cover Ayurveda or Homeopathy treatments. The plans that offer this coverage typically do that with a sub-limit within the overall sum assured. Such expenses will be covered only if they are incurred with more than 24 hours of hospitalisation.
I am buying expensive machinery from abroad. The machine is highly sensitive to electric fluctuations. Would a fire policy cover any damage due to internal fire? How can I get it covered?
—Jignesh Bunha
Standard fire insurance excludes damages due to internal short-circuit of a machine.
Voltage fluctuation-linked damages will not be covered under a fire insurance policy.
For such coverage, you need to buy a ‘machinery breakdown’ policy. It would cover damages due to internal short circuit and overheating types of damages.
Cost of such a policy generally varies between Rs500 and Rs1,000 for every lakh of sum assured.
