World Diabetes Day 2024: What All Should Diabetics Look For In A Health Policy

Diabetes is one of India’s biggest health challenges affecting millions of Indians. While the treatment calls for continuous medication and regular check-ups, combined with preventive care, it makes a significant dent in one’s pockets.
For diabetics, health insurance plans for diabetes management are a valuable support system. But one must know what to look out for in a diabetes specific health insurance policy to ensure that one can use the benefits provided by the policy effectively. Here are some key aspects that diabetics should be aware of before choosing a health insurance for diabetes-related care.

Coverage For Routine Treatment And Medication
For a diabetic, high blood sugar levels have to be monitored on a daily basis. Insulin and oral medications also form the bulk of the cost for the effective control of the disease. Thus, any good insurance plan should take care of these. Most standard health plans provide nominal coverage.
Recently, however, some insurers have introduced specific packages that cover medicine and regular check-ups, specific to a diabetic patient. Even among Indian insurers, Star Health, and Care Health Insurance have diabetes-specific policies, which offer broader coverage for routine treatment of diabetes.

All-inclusive Diabetes Complications Policy
Diabetes may cause diseases, such as kidney disease, neuropathy, and heart problems. The majority of the general health insurance policies do not have coverage for such complications. However, there are policies on diabetes, such as the ICICI Lombard diabetes cover, which are somewhat more all-inclusive. In most cases, such policies contain inclusion of complications due to diabetes for which patients are normally charged extra for special treatment.

Short Waiting Period For Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
There is typically a waiting period ranging from two-four years for most health insurance schemes in India for pre-existing conditions. However, the waiting period for diabetes-specific health insurance might be relatively less and sometimes even immediate, which is a big advantage for newly-diagnosed patients. This waiting period policy would have to be reviewed, particularly if immediate coverage is required for ongoing diabetes treatment.

Wellness Benefits And Preventive Care
Some health insurers offer wellness benefits consisting of discounted health check-ups or lifestyle programmes focused on diabetes management. This preventive benefit may also trigger a reduction in premium for selected policies. For instance, Aditya Birla Health Insurance has policies which offer wellness benefits that encourage patients to track their health with related financial and health incentives.

Standalone Or Comprehensive Plans
This will then bring it to the final decision-making stage: whether one should go for a coverage plan that includes a comprehensive health cover, or include add-ons for diabetes, or, get a standalone diabetes policy. Of course, comprehensive policies present a more comprehensive range of coverage, but sometimes, a standalone diabetes policy could prove to be cost-effective. Religare Health Insurance is one such insurer that offers standalone diabetes policies.
This World Diabetes Day take care to peruse the policy details to ensure that your insurance cover matches your health needs, especially if it relates to diabetes, and which should be managed affordably, too.