Monkeypox and health insurance coverage: What’s covered and what’s not

Understandably, after living with the prolonged woes of the Covid–19 pandemic, this is a health scare that people would want to avert at all costs. While one can and should take precautions to keep the virus at bay, it’s also equally important to plan for an untoward situation of contracting it. Even as medical emergencies of different nature are on the rise, it’s common to wonder whether or not they will be covered under your health insurance. Here we round up all that you need to know about Monkeypox coverage in your health insurance policy.

Is Monkeypox covered under health insurance?

Monkeypox, being an infectious disease, will be covered under health insurance like any other infectious disease. Similar to Covid–19, if the infection requires the patient to be hospitalised, the insurance policy will provide coverage for the treatment as per terms and conditions. Usually, regular health plans cover the cost of hospitalisation, pre and post-hospitalisation expenses, ambulance charges and ICU.

What won’t be covered?

There are some exclusions pertaining to Monkeypox coverage that one needs to keep in mind. First and foremost is the waiting period. The waiting period refers to the time duration that a policyholder has to wait after buying the policy before his or her actual coverage begins. At this time, they cannot raise a non-accidental claim. Generally, the policies come with a waiting period as low as 30 days. Depending from plan to plan, the waiting period varies for the policyholder. Therefore, if one raises a claim during the waiting period for Monkeypox, it will get rejected.

The second exclusion is OPD coverage. OPD or out-patient department expenses refer to medical bills incurred on doctor consultations, medicines or treatments that don’t require the patient to be hospitalised. So, if the patient needs hospitalisation due to Monkeypox, it will be covered under a regular health policy. However, if the patient has only been advised isolation and recovery at home, then it won’t be covered. The OPD coverage will only be covered if the plan includes it or the policyholder has already purchased an OPD add-on cover.

What if one contracts the infection during travel?

Since travel could be a reason behind contracting the virus, one needs to understand the coverage in travel insurance and opt for a policy accordingly. If someone is travelling from India to a country that has Monkeypox cases and contracts the virus, they will be covered. However, the same rules of coverage apply here. The travel plan will cover you if you require hospitalisation and the OPD coverage will be subjective, and home isolation will not be covered. Moreover, some travel plans don’t include non-accidental claims, so you need to be mindful of the policy terms and conditions and pick a plan that is all included for extensive coverage.

In a nutshell, newer kinds of health emergencies are on the rise and one cannot afford to not have health insurance during these times. The good news, however, is that the health insurance market is also evolving to cater to these growing needs and becoming more inclusive to help you absorb medical inflation with ease. So, choose a plan as per your needs and always comb finely through its terms and conditions to avoid any last-minute surprises.

The author is Head-Health and Travel Insurance at Policybazaar.com. The views expressed are that of the author.