Simple steps to help you file a claim under your health insurance policy
So you’ve opted for a health insurance to safeguard your finances against the soaring healthcare costs. Now that you have this assurance, it is important to understand how the claim process works, to ensure you are not worrying in case of an emergency.
Opposed to common belief, making a claim is relatively easy. Let’s get acquainted with the various elements of the claim procedure to avoid unpleasant surprises in your time of need:
Claim Type
Claims are commonly of two types:
| Cashless Claims |
Reimbursement Claims |
| Cashless claims can be made at a network hospital only. |
Reimbursement claims can be filed for treatment in a non-network or a network hospital. |
| Once your claim is approved, the amount will be paid directly to the hospital without your further involvement. |
Post-hospitalization, you have to pay for all the expenses immediately and file for reimbursement later. |
Claim Intimation
Claim intimation is a crucial step of the claim process as it informs the insurer of the upcoming expenses. There is a high possibility of your claim being denied if you fail to inform within the specified time as mentioned in your policy.
In case of planned hospitalization at a network hospital, the specified time required to intimate your insurance company is at least 1-2 days in advance. For emergency hospitalization, you have to inform the company within 24 hours.
Claim Forms
Pre-authorization forms encapsulate all the information required to make a cashless claim. You have to submit a copy of required documents such as cashless ID, photo ID, previous consultation documents, if any for the company to approve the expenses. These documents will be verified by the hospital or a Third Party Administrator (TPA) to check if the illness or ailment is covered under the benefits of the policy.
For reimbursement claims, no pre-authorization form is generally needed. However, after discharge you need to submit all the documents pertaining to the out-of-pocket expenses. You can mail these documents along with the duly filled claim form to your service provider or TPA.
Claim Investigation
Claim investigation helps the insurance companies analyze and differentiate fraudulent claims from the genuine ones. Your claim form and documents will be thoroughly scrutinized and a suitable decision will be made.
Therefore, ensure you fill in the details correctly in the form and submit the documents as per the requirement.