HIGHLIGHTS
- Outpatient service or OPD treatment is where the treatment or diagnosis of a certain type of disease is performed without admitting the patient to the health center.
- OPD treatments are frequent in nature and include treatment of some basic conditions like seasonal fever, infections, regular checkups or follow-up consultations with doctors.
- Experts are of the opinion that due to rising medical costs and increasing reliance on online consultations, the inclusion of OPD coverage is very important.
New Delhi: Traditionally,
Some insurance companies offer this coverage as an endorsement. A few stand-alone OPD covers are also available. Policies with OPD covers have grown in popularity after the three waves of Covid-19.
The question then is why insurance companies have traditionally sought to avoid adding OPD plans and why it is in the interests of policyholders to add the same in their healthcare plans.
What is OPD treatment?
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Outpatient service or OPD treatment is where the treatment or diagnosis of a certain type of disease is performed without admitting the patient to the health center. So basically it involves the patient going to the clinic or one of the doctors consulting rooms and getting treatment.
Why Insurers Avoid Covering OPD Treatments
OPD treatments are frequent in nature and include treatment of some basic conditions like seasonal fever, infections, regular checkups or follow-up consultations with doctors. Therefore, many insurance companies exclude OPD treatments from policy coverage as it comes at a huge cost to them.
Why the inclusion of OPD is a must in insurance coverage
Experts are of the opinion that due to rising medical costs and increasing reliance on online consultations, the inclusion of OPD coverage is very important. Having OPD coverage is important for policyholders, especially when they know regular visits to doctors are needed due to a pre-existing condition, experts say, adding that having such coverage also gives you peace of mind.