Medical emergencies are characterised by the uncertainty they bring. One can never predict when and where they might need medical assistance. Moreover, with the continuously rising cost of medical assistance and other allied procedures, it’s also important that your chosen insurance plan covers all aspects of medical care, including ambulance charges. Yet, a lot of people skip this part. The fact is, not all health insurance policies cover ambulance costs, and you should check the policy details carefully to determine whether yours does or not.
Does your medical health insurance cover ambulance charges?
Ambulance expenses are typically covered by health insurance policies with a decent insured sum. With these policies, you can submit a claim for up to a specific percentage of the insured sum to cover the cost of ambulance services.
Furthermore, because of the quick transportation they provide, air ambulance services that are more expensive. Consequently, a number of restrictions and specific terms and conditions apply when it comes to the cost of air ambulance services. However, premium health insurance policies with a high sum assured often cover them. Certain insurance companies pay up to Rs 1 lakh in air ambulance costs.
Eligibility for availing ambulance cover:
If your policy includes ambulance coverage as part of your health insurance, then you can claim that coverage when needed, subject to the restrictions outlined in the policy.
There are two major conditions to be eligible to claim ambulance cover. First, the ambulance should be provided by a registered healthcare service provider or a registered ambulance service provider. Secondly, the beneficiary must produce a certificate from the medical practitioner treating you, which certifies that the ambulance was needed for transportation.
What to do if ambulance charges are not covered by your health insurance?
As discussed, quite a few health insurance plans exclude ambulance expenses. If that is the case with your policy, you should check if your insurance offers an add-on rider. Add-on rider is a seperate fee you can pay for coverage of a medical facility that is not covered by your insurance plan. Please note that the facility to purchase add-on riders is available only while purchasing or renewing insurance.
We know that not all policies cover ambulance costs. However, many insurers give the option of buying an add-on rider. Moreover, even when the ambulance cover is provided, the fine print of the policy must be carefully read to ascertain whether your cover includes air ambulance, what the reimbursement limit is, and provisions related to emergency and non-emergency situations, etc. To determine whether a policy is a good fit for you, you should only purchase it after thoroughly reviewing these and all other terms and conditions.