P K Mann
Health insurance has historically played a pivotal role in improving access to healthcare around the world. However, less than 15% of the Indian population is covered under some form of health insurance, including government-supported schemes. Although over the last 65 years India has achieved a lot in terms of health improvement, yet we are way behind many fast developing countries such as China, Vietnam and Sri Lanka in this vital sphere.
In our country, the problem is more severe with the old aged and senior citizen category population, whose number is increasing every year but are deprived of a reasonable provision of medical insurance cover towards meeting cost of treatment for major ailments both by the Govt and Insurance Agencies. This important facility to ensure and provide much needed monetary relief to this class of society is presently not available in the existing scheme of companies due to stipulation of entry age being less than 70, and those who near 70 years of age, the entry is near to impossible, with stringent medical tests being a deterrent.
Currently, the health insurance policies which are allowed for old age people, have inflexible / complicated norms, such as waiting period of 2 to 4 years for existing ailments, limited cover 1 to 2 lakhs for surgery and critical illness so on and so forth. As a matter of fact, it is the oldies who are easily and mostly prone to age related ailments but after having rendered active useful service to society, are not able to meet rising cost of treatment/ expenses in the present times and there are numerous instances when such people are compelled to withdraw the treatment and even opt for premature termination of life owing to inability to meet cost of medical expenses.
Unfortunately, in the 2nd decade of 21st century, when life expectancy has also enhanced much due to improved standard of living, but at the same time cost of life care and cure has escalated beyond means as well. The need for medical insurance cover, which is supposed to be made available as a social security cover in a welfare state, is next to non-existent, due to outdated schemes or deliberately neglected by the less visionary authorities in the case of elders, especially.
Genuinely, there is a need to overview the policies in vogue in order to ease the hardship faced by the needy class of society. It would be in fitness of things that Govt gets the whole issue examined by the experts and authorise Insurance Companies for devising mechanism to make available medical insurance cover for elders even by considering a reasonable recovery of premium charges to which people will subscribe willingly. It would also be desirable if both central and state Govts help the people by subsidising some portion of premium amount on this account. Let us make the just cause a priority and a workable solution be sought for the same.
Further, It is suggested that, In addition to this, Govt. should take measures like introducing mandatory Health Fund akin to Provident fund scheme so as to ensure that the person saves enough to cover his old age health issues. Secondly bills like food security have been introduced for the welfare of citizens recently; with the same spirit, bill on Right to health care can be deliberated to help the much needy class. Further, the medical facility suggested to be made applicable for citizens could be considered as in case of central Govt. Retired employees. Above all, why we cannot think of introduction of medical treatment for all senior citizens somewhat on the pattern of U.S model in order to live a full, healthy and dignified life! Let no one ever think of option of ‘euthanasia’ for reasons of inability to meet cost of treatment!
Last but not the least, the co-operation of Insurance Regulatory Authority of India will help much in achieving objective. In short, voice of hapless people need to be heard; better late than never.
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