India has seen significant changes due to advancements in the medical and healthcare industries. The development of effective immunizations and treatment plans, coupled with the importance of health insurance, has led to the eradication of many deadly diseases. However, the country is still challenged by some killer diseases that just don't seem to declare exodus.

Here is a list of top ten killer death diseases in India:

1. Cardiovascular Diseases
   

This amounts to about 24.8% deaths in the country. Although preventable, the disease is killing more people each year. Understanding the causes and following precautions can help preventing the disease and possibility of death among individuals. It is surprising that heart diseases in India occur 10-15 years earlier than in the west.

Causes of Cardiovascular Diseases

1. Use of tobacco
2. Diet, physical inactivity, and obesity
3. High cholesterol and high blood pressure
4. Heredity

Prevention Methods

1. Quit smoking and use of tobacco
2. Eat a heart healthy diet
3. Maintain healthy weight

2. Respiratory Diseases

These diseases account for 10.2% deaths in India. According to a survey, India accounts for 47 per cent of global measles death!

Causes of Respiratory Diseases

1. Smoking
2. Air pollution
3. Silica dust, Asbesto, grain dust

Prevention Methods
1. Stay active, make sure your workplace is safe
2. Eat a healthy diet
3. Breathe deeply
4. Quit smoking

3. Tuberculosis

The disease accounts for 10.1% deaths in the country.

Causes of Tuberculosis

1. Contagious causes

Prevention Methods

1. Vaccination with BCG vaccine
2. Eat a healthy diet
3. Regular preventative tests

4. Malignant and Other Tumours

About 9.4% people in India die due to malignant and other tumours. Here is a list of causes of tumour development in the body:

Causes of Tumours

1. Chemical or toxic compound exposures
2. Ionizing radiation
3. Pathogens
4. Genetics
5. Some unknown causes

Prevention Methods

1. Avoid tobacco usage
2. Eat a healthy diet
3. Maintain a healthy weight and stay active
4. Get regular medical care and immunization

5. Illdefined Conditions

It is sad but true that around 5.3% population in India die due to III defined conditions due to unknown and undetermined.

Prevention Methods

1. Get regular medical care

6. Digestive Diseases
   

   Disorders related to digestive system accounts to 5.1% of deaths in India. The major cause is negligence of people while consuming food.

Causes of Digestive Diseases

1. Unhealthy food
2. Medications: Aspirin
3. Alcohol and tobacco abuse

Prevention Methods

1. Quit smoking and void use of alcohol
2. Eat a healthy diet
3. Exercise lightly 5 days week
4. Avoid daily use of aspirin, sulpha drugs, and steroids

7. Diarrheal Diseases
   

   About 5.0% people in India die of diarrheal diseases.

Causes of Diarrheal Diseases

1. Food poisoning (bacterial infection)
2. Eating foods that upset the digestive system; allergic food
3. Medications and radiation therapy

Prevention Methods

1. Wash hands frequently
2. Eat a healthy diet
3. Quit alcohol

8. Unintentional Injuries
   

   Accidents cause 4.6% of deaths across the nation. India is rated as the number 1 country when it comes to deaths in road accidents!

Causes of Unintentional Injuries

1. Accidents/disasters

Prevention Methods

1. Drive carefully
2. Carry a first aid kit

9. Intentional Self Harm
   

   Suicide is the second most cause of death among Indians aged 15-29 years. It accounts to 3.0% of total deaths in India.

Causes of Intentional Self Harm

1. Suicide

Prevention Methods

1. Don't stress yourself
2. Talk to loved ones
3. Rehabilitation and counselling

Junk foods can be a treat to the taste buds, but their ill effects are widely known. Consuming them regularly can have adverse effects on your health and may cause irreparable damage to the body. Scientific research has shown that junk food, foods with added sugar, and processed foods, can make you prone to type 2 diabetes and heart diseases. These foods can eventually make your brain weak and non-functional.

Eating junk food affects both your physical and mental health. Let’s deep dive into some details of junk foods and their harmful effects.

What are junk foods?

Any food with zero or negligible nutritional value, high in fat and trans fat content, can be termed junk food. Most fast foods, including candy, soft drinks, bakery products, burgers, along with salty and oily foods, can be termed junk food. They are high in calories, salts, and fats, and are usually low in vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional contents. The more we consume these foods, instead of healthier and nutritional options, the less will be the intake of essential nutrients and vitamins needed by the body.

Consumption of junk food can lead to a lot of health problems. Let’s look at a few of the harmful effects of junk food.

Obesity

One of the major harmful effects of junk foods from your favourite fast food restaurants is obesity and its related health complications. The excessive sugar, calories, and fats present in junk foods contribute to weight gain. Obesity can lead to many medical issues, such as diabetes, joint pain, and heart diseases.

Depression

Junk foods are loaded with sugar and fats that can cause certain chemical reactions in the brain, affecting its functioning. The body may lose essential nutrients and amino acids by consuming too much of them. These symptoms can eventually lead to the inability of the brain to deal with stress and can leave you feeling depressed.

In case of planned or emergency hospitalisation, you may want to go to a hospital that’s in your vicinity. If the doctor who’s been treating you works at a particular hospital, chances are you would prefer that one over others. Now, it may be possible that your health insurance company's hospital network doesn't cover your preferred hospital. Then, the only option you would you have at hand is to make a reimbursement claim on your health insurance.

You might have too many doubts about a reimbursement claim that range from what is a reimbursement claim to what you can do to ensure a smooth and speedy settlement of your reimbursement claim. Hence, here we are to help you get acquainted with its complete process and further understand its intricacies.

What is a reimbursement claim?

In a reimbursement claim, you pay the hospitalisation expenses from your pocket, and the health insurance company later pays that amount to you provided you submit all the necessary documents. You will have to apply for a reimbursement claim only if you choose to get your treatment done at a hospital which is not a part of your health insurance company’s hospital network or if you miss opting for a cashless claim.

While making a reimbursement claim, you need to be careful about the coverage of your treatment and related expenses under your health insurance policy. Your health insurance company can turn down your claim if your policy doesn't cover them.

How is a reimbursement claim different than a cashless claim?

A reimbursement claim can take longer to process than a cashless claim. For a reimbursement claim, you need to ensure you collect and submit all the documents and bills related to your hospitalisation. On the other hand, in a cashless claim, the empanelled hospital will do the job of sending your documents and bills to the insurance company, and the claim will be settled with them directly.

In a reimbursement claim, you have to wait till you get your money reimbursed from the insurance company, whereas in a cashless claim, the insurance company will pay it straight to the hospital. You will only have to bear the expenses that are excluded from your policy or are over your sum insured.

Since your insurance company does not have a tie-up with the hospital, your reimbursement claim will be thoroughly investigated. This may further delay your claim settlement. Cashless claims instead tend to get settled faster and in a hassle-free manner.

When do I need to inform you about my reimbursement claim?

In case of planned hospitalisation, you can inform us two days before admission, and in case of emergency hospitalisation, you need to inform us within 24 hours of hospitalisation.

What are the steps involved in a reimbursement claim?

Unlike cashless claim, you have to take the initiative when it comes to making a reimbursement claim. Here are the steps involved in a reimbursement claim process under our health insurance.

1. Step 1: You intimate the claim

You can call our 24x7 toll-free number 1800 2666 or SMS ‘HEALTHCLAIM’ to 575758 (charge – ₹3 per SMS) or email us at ihealthcare@icicilombard.com to inform us about your hospitalisation.

2. Step 2: You get your papers ready

Once you have made the payment at the hospital, arrange all the documents chronologically. Start from the original bills for doctor’s consultation, X-ray and other medical expenses to your discharge summary, medical reports and hospital bill. With us, you can also include the bills of your medical expenses 30 days before hospitalisation and 60 days after.