When 40-year-old Saksham Kalra suffered a paralytic attack, it was a traumatic time, not just for him but for his family members too. Saksham was immediately taken to the hospital, where thankfully he received the right treatment. Though Saksham recovered soon, his stay in the hospital was another shock for him. A day after his hospitalisation, Saksham realised that his ₹10 Lakhs health insurance did not cover paralysis. He had to clear the hospital bills from his pocket, due to which his hard-earned savings took a major hit.
Not being well aware of the inclusions and exclusions of your health insurance can put you in a tight spot. At a time when you need it the most, you may feel short-chained when you discover that your health policy does not cover the treatment you require.
It, therefore, becomes imperative that you understand the type of policy that you have opted for. An indemnity-based policy compensates you for the expenses incurred on medical treatment. On the other hand, a fixed benefit policy offers you a lump sum when a particular medical condition is diagnosed. Both types of policies work differently and serve different purposes.
Wondering if your health insurance plan covers paralysis? Before we dig into the details, let us find out a little more about paralysis.
What is Paralysis
Paralysis is a critical illness in which a person loses the ability of his/ her body’s muscles to function. Typically, a nervous system impairment leads to paralysis. Anyone who is paralysed feels both sensory and motor loss or loss of muscular function in the affected areas. Partial, total, temporary, or permanent paralysis is all possible.
The following conditions are believed to often lead to paralysis-
- Spinal Tumor
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Post-Polio Syndrome
- Cerebral Palsy
- Brain Tumor
- Neurofibromatosis
Types of Paralysis
On the primary classification, paralysis is discovered to be of two types-
- Permanent Paralysis:
The patient’s ability to control their muscles is permanently lost in this condition. - Temporary Paralysis:
Some or all of the patient’s muscle control returns in this condition.
Paralysis can further be classified into the following types –
- Locked-in Syndrome:
It is a medical disorder in which the patient loses total control over all voluntary muscles in their body, with the exception of the ones that control their eye movements. - Monoplegia:
In this type of paralysis, the patient is unable to control their limbs. - Quadriplegia:
It is a medical disorder in which a person loses control of all four of their limbs. - Hemiplegia:
It is a disorder in which a patient is unable to control one side of their body.
Does your Health Insurance Plan cover Paralysis?
When it comes to health insurance, paralysis comes in the category of critical illness. Thus, a regular indemnity-based health insurance policy would not cover your hospitalisation or other treatment-related costs that arise because of paralysis. When you opt for a critical illness health insurance plan like the Care health insurance plan for critical illness, you receive a lump sum amount at the time of diagnosis. This amount can prove to be very beneficial and can help you manage the various expenses related to the treatment, pre and post-illness care as well as recovery.
Experts suggest that even if you have a regular health insurance plan, opting for a critical illness plan can be a wise choice. Most health plans do not cover such illnesses. On the other hand, the sum insured that you receive from the critical illness cover can be very helpful in acting as a source of income in the worst-case scenario where you lose your job or exhaust all your savings.
Conclusion
Our changing lifestyle includes unhealthy food habits, irregular sleep patterns and high-stress levels. This often leads to multiple health problems, and thus having the right health insurance can make all the difference.
While most indemnity-based health insurance plans do not cover paralysis, having a suitable critical illness health insurance plan just like Care health insurance can be handy. The policy covers over 32 illnesses that too at an affordable price. Care health insurance critical illness plan is probably the ideal way to protect yourself from an unpredictable future. Make sure you have the right health plan for yourself as well as your family.
Photo by Nayeli Dalton on Unsplash
