While specifying the criteria, the board of insurers among other things should consider the minimum manpower and healthcare infrastructure facilities, said the IRDAI
The insurers have to also publish the board approved empanelment criteria in their website from time to time
While the urban areas have a large network of cashless hospitals, going forward the guidelines would push insurers to expand services to rural areas as well and it will largely reduce the financial burden among policyholders and provide ease while opting the cashless facility at hospitals, say insurers
Hyderabad:
In a bid to enhance the scope for offering cashless facility in health covers, the insurance regulator IRDAI has now allowed the insurers to empanel the hospital that meet the standards and benchmarks criteria as specified by their boards.
While specifying the criteria, the board of insurers among other things should consider the minimum manpower and healthcare infrastructure facilities, said the IRDAI.
The insurers have to also publish the board approved empanelment criteria in their website from time to time.
While empaneling network providers for cashless facility, insurers are also advised to focus on the delivery of quality healthcare services, said the IRDAI.
Sanjay Datta, Chief, Underwriting, Claims & Reinsurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance,“This announcement by the IRDAI is a significant development that liberates the health insurance providers to broaden their spectrum of healthcare network, thus enabling the dual benefit of deeper insurance penetration besides encouraging seamlessness in customer experience.”
The steps taken by the IRDAI in recent times are growth-oriented and directed towards ensuring optimum outreach which shall consequently aid the further development of our industry as we all look to take fresh steps towards ensuring a fully insured India, he added.
Sharad Mathur, MD & CEO, Universal Sompo General Insurance said,“ This regulatory initiative would increase the scope of the insurers’ cashless services which would play a pivotal role in reducing the financial burden on policyholders. This will also provide a strong network of health care plus insurance services countrywide.It is an excellent step in my view, encouraging and would support towards protecting not only policyholders’ interests but also the public at large”
After COVID-19, several improvements have taken place in the healthcare industry. However, we still have a long way to go,”he said.
“This move from IRDA is commendable. While the urban areas have a large network of cashless hospitals, going forward the guidelines would push insurers to expand services to rural areas as well and it will largely reduce the financial burden among policyholders and provide ease while opting the cashless facility at hospitals. This move also gives responsibility to insurer(s) to standardize and benchmark the empanelment criterion in a hyper-competitive Mediclaim market where the focus on quality of providers will be further enhanced,” Rahul Sharma, President -Claims, Liberty General Insurance.
Priya Deshmukh Gilbile, chief operating officer, ManipalCigna Health Insurance“We at ManipalCigna, welcome the regulatory move to help people avail cashless benefit for advised treatment at any network medical facility. In today’s scenario, most of the policyholders prefer cashless claim settlement process as it is faster, seamless and eliminates any hassles while they are going through a medical intervention.”
This move will improve the accessibility to healthcare providers across the underpenetrated markets. It will also significantly improve the experience of availing claims service, especially in the middle and lower middle income groups, thereby instilling increased trust in health insurance, she added.