In what is sure to be good news for parents of new-born babies admitted to neonatal ICUs, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has termed the definition of a newborn as a “baby born during the policy period and aged up to 90 days”.
This definition has also be conveyed to the Newborn Medical Insurance Committee of National Neonatalogy Forum (NNF), a body that has been fighting relentlessly for providing insurance coverage to newborns.
Prior to this communication by IRDAI, insurance benefits for newborns were limited to vaccination in the first 90 days of the baby’s birth, that too in family health insurance policies having newborn coverage. By defining the term ‘newborn’ IRDAI has ensured that a newborn can avail the health benefits of insurance schemes from the time of birth itself.
The move comes at a time when the medical fraternity is worried over the rising cases of neonatal complications, and the dismal insurance coverage provided to newborns. Treatment for the little ones is expensive and can range from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000/day.
At present, there aren’t any schemes that are especially made to cover the various complications faced by newborns. The only coverage they have comes from the family floater plans that provide newborn care. More awareness and customised products are required to bring down the neonatal mortality rate.
*Source: Times of India
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