What is a Health Insurance Card?

When the entire country is going digital, can healthcare be far behind??

You must have flaunted your premium debit and credit cards while shopping or dining. But can you remember flaunting an insurance card in a hospital? This card still needs to find a place in your wallet besides the bling of debit and credit cards. Let's see why this card has gained importance in the market over time.

What is a Health Insurance Card?

As cards and online payments replace cash, the health insurance card is proof of your policy documents as it contains all your policy details. It also helps access your insurance coverage, benefits, and records your claims. 

The card’s validity is equivalent to the tenure of your insurance coverage and is renewed along with policy renewal. If your family is covered under a floater plan, the insurer may issue separate cards to each member. 

Why is a Health Insurance Card Required?

You might not understand the importance of a health insurance card, thinking it is just another card, but once you know how to maximise its usage, you will be overwhelmed by its importance. These cards issued by insurers are answers to digitisation. But before going into details of its benefits, one important thing to remember is that this card only applies to network hospitals for cashless pay. In other words, hospitals which insurers have a tie-up with. 

1. An ID Card: Just like Aadhaar and Voter IDs are proof of your citizenship, Health cards are proof of your eligibility for financial medical coverage by a particular insurer.

2. Cashless Payouts: An emergency never comes with a warning. This card can bail you out of one if you know how to use it at the right time. Once you get admitted to a registered hospital, you only need an authorization letter and a health insurance card to start your treatment. All expenses will be paid directly to the hospital.

3. Contacting the Insurer: All such cards have toll-free numbers printed, which can be a lifesaver during an emergency. If you face any difficulty using your card, this is handy.

4. Smart Card: It is a form of smart card with a chip that stores all information about the insured and the insurer. The policy details, name of the insured, validity of the policy, date of birth, policy number, and sum insured are all encrypted in the card.

5. Ease and Convenience: It is cumbersome to carry policy documents and details around, like carrying bundles of cash. It is easier if all information can be saved in your wallet.

6. Claim Validation: With this card, the hospital can validate your eligibility amount with the insurer and can start treatment without delay. At the same time, you can learn about the expenses you might have to pay to complete the hospitalisation. It keeps you ready for any financial requirement and gives you time to make such arrangements.

7. Validity of The Policy: Like any other bank card, the card carries a validity date. However, this date shows when your coverage is expiring. This is a quick reminder to renew the policy by the due date to avoid slip-ups.

Besides the above benefits, this is a crucial card for senior citizens as we still do not have the Flexi Medicare card in India. The health card may not work like a medical debit card, but it can save a lot of hassle if the insured is old.

Points to Remember  

The card facility is available to all subject to specific terms and conditions. A single insurer cannot offer cashless payments to all city or state hospitals. 

1. The hospital where you are undergoing treatment needs to be on the insurer's list of empanelled hospitals. Otherwise, payment will only be refundable.
2. The card needs to be kept in safe custody, as it contains personal and policy details encrypted. If fraudsters or scammers access these details, they can misuse them.
3. The listed hospitals should have cashless facilities so that the insured can benefit from the health card.
4. If your card is lost, you should immediately inform your insurer and apply for a replacement card to prevent misuse. 

Key Takeaways!

All insurance companies generally issue health cards. But how many of you look at it or remember to use it? Debit and credit cards always hold a premium place in your wallet. Most of the time, health cards are out of sight and out of mind. They come out only in emergencies when hospitals come into the picture. It is time for health insurance cards to get their due importance for their convenience and ease.

>> Also Read: What Are Digital Health Insurance Cards?