Health Is Wealth

In Covid times, the IRDAI guidelines on health and wellness and the rewards that insurers will now give to consumers for staying fit are welcome. Many also offer claims linked to home quarantine cure

- Shivanand Pandit

IN September 2020, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) issued guidelines to insurance players to incorporate features that push policyholders to maintain and recuperate their health. In the recent past, the consciousness about strong health, wellness and fitness has led to a substantial development in the health insurance sector. And now with Covid-19, this awareness is at an all-time high.

Guidelines which sanction insurers to reward consumers in several ways were much-awaited. Insurers are now able to give discounts to customers following wellness principles demarcated in the policy. This strategy will inspire people to lead a healthy lifestyle and choose health insurance products.

Earlier in 2016, IRDAI recognised the necessity of such consumers and launched norms on evolving health insurance products, including wellness and preventive benefits. With the development of the sector and a surge of health insurance products offering enticements to policyholders to embrace a fitter lifestyle, the time has come for renovation of the norms handling such benefits. This will allow general and health insurers to design products which equal those available abroad and permit policyholders additional privileges from fitness and other health-centric choices.

Due to coronavirus, consumers are now demanding wellness-related benefits. According to a survey, approximately 60 percent of people anticipate their health insurance policy to go outside hospitalisation to help them stay healthy. The Covid-19 crisis has brought superior mindfulness among people.