Introduction:
Health insurance policies have become inevitable in all Indian households to gain medical and financial immunity, and military personnel are no exception. Military personnel and their family members need immune health insurance policies due to several factors. Unlike in other Indian households, military personnel do not stay with their family members since they are posted at remote locations and might not be able to reach their loved ones immediately after a medical emergency. This itself presses for strong medical and financial immunity for the family members of military personnel. Though some insurance plans do not include military personnel due to their risky profile, multiple health insurance plans are explicitly designed for army personnel and their family members. Let’s read about them in detail.
Types of health insurance policies available for military personnel:
Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS):
It is a health insurance scheme provided to all central government employees and pensioners, including army personnel. It aims to offer comprehensive medical care to all central government employees and their families and enhance healthcare quality. Under the scheme, coverage will be provided to OPD treatment and medication charges, hospitalization, preventive health care like health checkups and immunization, and diagnostic tests at government or CGHS-affiliated hospitals. The scheme provides coverage of allopathic, ayurvedic, homoeopathy, Unani, Siddha, and yoga, as well as the Indian system of medicine like naturopathy and yoga. The coverage for treatment at private hospitals affiliated with the CGHS scheme depends on the employee’s grade.
Ex-servicemen contributory health scheme (ECHS): It is a union-government scheme to provide quality healthcare to veterans and their family members. It is designed on the lines of CGHS to provide cashless and capless medical treatment coverage at CGHS rates to retired military personnel and their family members. The scheme will include pensioners of Territorial Army (TA), Defence Security Corps (DSC), Uniformed Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Military Nursing Service (MNS), Special Frontier Force (SFF), Nepal Domiciled Gorkha (NDG), Whole-time NCC Officers, Eligible Army Postal Service (APS) pensioners, Assam Rifles pensioners, World War (WW) II Veterans, Short Service Commission Officers (SSCOs), Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs) and Pre-Mature Retirees. Retiring personnel need to pay a lump sum to join the scheme. The lump sum is Rs 1.2 lakh for officers, Rs 67,000 for junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and Rs 30,000 for jawans. About 30 regional centres, 433 polyclinics and 3,158 empanelled medical facilities are established under the scheme.
Armed forces health plans offered by private companies: Besides the central government, several insurance companies have specially designed health insurance plans for army personnel and their families, including their spouses, dependent children and parents. Under the scheme, they provide comprehensive coverage for hospitalization, diagnostic tests, maternity and newborn expenses and doctor’s consultations.
Things to consider while purchasing the best health insurance for family:
- Comprehensive coverage: Experts always recommend that army personnel choose a policy that covers various medical expenses, including doctor’s consultation, maternity and newborn care, critical illnesses and accidental disability coverage. Because, in most cases, army personnel do not stay with their family members around the clock and might even take days to reach their location and be at their side during a medical emergency. So, it is far more critical for army personnel to make an informed choice while purchasing the best health insurance plans for family members.
- Adequate sum insured: It is essential to check and ensure that the policy that army personnel decide to purchase has an adequate sum insured to meet the medical requirements of their family. Some of the vital factors one needs to consider before determining the sum insured are family members’ age, pre-existing health conditions and medical expenses in their locality. In case dependent parents or ailing members are included in the plan, it is always advisable to ensure a higher sum.
- Network of hospitals: Since finding a hospital that agrees to cover treatment costs under insurance policies during a medical emergency is challenging, it is better if the insured purchases a health insurance policy with an extensive list of network hospitals. One cannot search for a hospital that offers quality treatment or travel miles to avail of quality treatment during an emergency. So, it will be more convenient for the insured to find a hospital nearby if the list of network hospitals included in the policy is longer. This will also reduce out-of-pocket expenses to the insured during the crisis.
- Pre-existing conditions: It refers to the medical conditions that an insured was diagnosed with up to 48 months before signing up for a policy. It includes any long-term illness from high blood pressure and diabetes to thyroid and asthma. It is also important to declare the pre-existing disease at the time of purchase because non-disclosure will lead to the rejection of claims or, in rare cases, policy cancellation. Also, it comes with a waiting clause that limits the insured from enjoying the benefits right from the policy’s commencement date.
- Good customer service: Purchasing a health insurance policy from a company with a good reputation for customer service is always recommended. Good customer service will provide prompt assistance in case of medical emergencies, smooth the claim settlement process, understand policy details, inclusions and exclusions, and resolve unexpected issues.
Conclusion:
Just like every other individual, military personnel and their family members also need financial immunity during a medical crisis, and health insurance plans are one of the most accessible go-to places. By making an informed choice, one can avoid the last-minute hassle and concentrate on availing of quality treatment.
