General Insurance Council 'Cashless Everywhere': As general and health insurance companies moved towards ‘cashless’ treatment under health insurance policies across the country from Thursday, policyholders now will be able to avail the scheme at hospitals that are not in the network of their insurers. However, how does one opt for this? Here, we try to explain what the scheme is and how can one opt for it: What is the ‘Cashless Everywhere’ system? Under the ‘Cashless Everywhere’ system, a policyholder will be treated in any hospital they choose, and a cashless facility will be available even if such a hospital is not in the network of the insurance company. This means that a policyholder will be able to get admitted to a hospital without paying any money and insurance companies will pay the bill on the discharge day. The General Insurance Council, in consultation with all the general and health insurance companies, is launching the initiative. How is it different from the current system? For policyholders now, the cashless facility is only available at hospitals where the respective insurance company has an agreement or tie-ups. If the policyholder chooses a hospital without such an agreement, the cashless facility is not offered now, and the customer has to go for a reimbursement claim, further delaying the claim process. How does one avail the new facility? Under the ‘Cashless Everywhere’ system, the customer should intimate the insurance company at least 48 hours prior to the admission. “For emergency treatment, the customer should intimate the insurance company within 48 hours of admission. The claim should be admissible as per the terms of the policy and the cashless facility should be admissible as per the operating guidelines of the insurance company,” the General Insurance Council has said.
