According to the WHO Global TB 2018 report, 27% of all global TB cases are from India. The country saw 2.74 million cases out of the worldwide 10 million back in 2017. However, this has decreased from the 2.79 million cases registered the previous year.
The cost of TB treatment is also considerably high with each vaccination costing an average of Rs. 400. Private medical facilities can charge an average of Rs. 32,000 per month for treatment.
India also has the highest case of drug-resistant TB – 24%. Patients with this disease are immune to one or more first line of medication.
Hence, opting for a tuberculosis insurance policy is beneficial to address the cost of treating the disease. Choosing a scheme that takes care of your medical expenses will help you avoid the financial burden.
Some of the benefits that you must look for before selecting a health insurance plan include:
- Coverage for doctor fees before and after hospitalisation
Doctor visits are expenses that you need to pay not only during hospitalisation but also before and after the same. A tuberculosis insurance policy can cover all such costs.
Pocket Insurance schemes like Tuberculosis Insurance Cover offered by Bajaj Finserv offers coverage for such expenses.
- Protection from medicinal costs before and after hospitalisation
Other than the doctor’s fee, you will also incur cost of medicines before and after hospitalisation. Patients may have to consume more than one medicine every day with the dosage lasting for as long as 3 years. Costs of these medications can become a burden on your monthly income. Thus, a sound insurance policy is required to aid you financially in the process of cure.
Provide cover for diagnostics tests
The various types of tests that patients with TB have to undergo include:
- Blood culture
- Tuberculin skin test (TST) or Mantoux test
- GeneXpert
- Sputum smear microscopy (SSM)
- Chest x-ray
- TB culture test
GeneXpert is a molecular test that detects the presence of TB bacteria and checks whether the patient is resistant to a drug. This test can cost somewhere around Rs. 1,700.
A Mantoux test is a necessary test to find the presence of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. This test can come with an average price tag of Rs. 800.
Sputum smear microscopy is one of the primary tests to diagnose pulmonary tuberculosis and costs approximately Rs. 500.
These tests are necessary not only before but also after hospitalisation. So, opting for an insurance policy that covers such expenses is crucial.
- Protection from hospitalisation expenses
Patients may require hospitalisation in critical situations. Admitting in a private hospital can call for costs like doctor fee, diagnostics tests, medications, transfusion, ICU charges, and others. Hence, having a tuberculosis cover can help you take care of these expenditures.
You can additionally avail a hospital cash cover offered by Bajaj Finserv to cover the ever-growing healthcare expenses. The scheme provides Rs. 1,000, Rs. 2,000, or Rs. 3,000 per day depending on the plan you opt for.
- Coverage for hospital bed rent
Private hospitals have separate charges as bed rents. The rents also differ with the type – standard or ICU.
Hence, choose a health insurance policy for tuberculosis that covers such expenses. Usually, the insurers provide Rs. 1000 per day for standard beds and Rs. 2000 for ICU beds.
Most of the insurance providers enable you to apply for a TB health insurance policy online. Make sure you can do so online as these policies stretch for a year; paying for the premium must not be a hassle.
