The latest offering from Digit Insurance under its Digit Illness Group Insurance will cover hospitalization bill arising from not just COVID-19 but also 7 vector born diseases such as dengue, malaria, filariasis (payable only once in a lifetime), kala-azar, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, and the zika virus. The leading general insurance company assures to protect customers from medical expenses arising if he/she is diagnosed with and hospitalized for any of the specified diseases.
The plan launched under Digit’s Illness Group product under the Sandbox regulations encourages other insurance companies to create innovative products. Under this policy Digit covers pre-hospitalization, and post-hospitalization charges up to 30, or 60, or 90 days as opted by the policyholder. The policy also covers medical opinion and road ambulance charges where maximum liability per hospitalization would be 1% of the sum assured and not more than Rs. 5000. The policy is available on the company’s website, options for sum assured are Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. 2 lakh, or Rs. 3 lakh. The policy covers all treatment and quarantine received within India.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vector-borne diseases account for 17 percent of all infectious diseases reported worldwide every year leading to around 700,000 deaths. Due to both its large population and climatic conditions, India has a long history of malaria. In 2018 the country saw 429,928 cases of malaria and 96 malaria deaths. The company stated that due to these reasons it is important to have an insurance policy that protects against the financial problems that may arise due to these diseases.
Features of the policy:
- The policy can be bought for self, spouse, and kids. It provides individual protection to each family member.
- There is no limit on room rent or ICU rent. The insured can choose whichever room they want.
- Based on personal requirements customer can choose the sum assured.
- From the date of the start of the policy, the minimum waiting period is only 15 days.
- The policy buying process is simple and digital.
Customers should note that hospitalization is included only if the patient test positive for COVID-19 or any of the diseases. Symptomatic treatment in the absence of a positive test result will not be covered under the policy. Before buying the policy it is important to go through the entire list of inclusion and exclusion criteria.
