Page 12 - The Insurance Times January 2025

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government employees can claim medi-
cal reimbursement for emergency
treatment at hospitals not empanelled
HDFC Ergo to Roll Out Cashless Post-Hospitalisation under the Central Government Health
Claims Scheme (CGHS). Justice Jyoti Singh em-
HDFC Ergo, a leading non-life insurance provider, is set to launch a cashless phasized the paramount importance of
claims facility for post-hospitalisation treatments, making it one of the first preserving human life, ruling in favor
in the sector to offer this service. Unlike the current practice of reimburse- of Seema Mehta, who sought Rs 5.85
ment for such claims, this facility will enable policyholders to settle expenses lakh in reimbursement for brain sur-
seamlessly through HDFC Ergo's 'HERE' app. gery following a road accident.
The app, which already has 70 lakh downloads, will facilitate cashless settle- Mehta was initially denied reimburse-
ments without increasing the policy load. Chief Business Officer Parthanil ment as her treatment occurred at Sir
Ghosh announced that the initiative will debut by mid-December 2024. HDFC Ganga Ram Hospital, which is not
Ergo paid Rs 2,900 crore in claims nationally in FY24, including Rs 147 crore CGHS-empanelled. The court observed
that life-threatening situations neces-
in West Bengal. With over 56,000 claims settled in West Bengal in H1 FY25,
the company aims to enhance health insurance inclusion and convenience. sitate timely medical care, and deny-
ing reimbursement under such circum-
stances is unjust. The ruling reinforces
the state's obligation to ensure access
India Eyes Ayush Insurance already collaborated with 103 nations
to promote the Ayush system and in- to critical medical treatment for its
for Foreign Nationals troduced Ayush visas for medical tour- employees, even outside the CGHS
The Ministry of Ayush is reviewing a ism. Guidelines issued by IRDAI man- network.
proposal to introduce insurance pack- date 100% coverage for Ayush treat-
ages for foreign nationals seeking tra- ments under health insurance products AI Revolutionizes Cancer
ditional Indian treatments under beginning April 2024. The Ayush mar- Care in India
Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, ket in India has surged to $43.4 billion Artificial intelligence (AI) is transform-
Siddha, and Homeopathy (Ayush). The in 2023, driven by growing global de- ing cancer care in India by enabling
initiative stems from a suggestion by mand for traditional healthcare solu- early detection, accurate diagnoses,
the European Business and Technology tions. and personalized treatments.
Centre and is part of efforts to boost Bengaluru-based Strand Life Sciences,
medical tourism. Delhi HC Allows Medical in partnership with global firms, has
Union Minister Shripad Naik confirmed Reimbursement for Non- leveraged AI to improve melanoma
ongoing discussions with several coun- detection, streamline breast cancer
tries to make Ayush treatments eligible CGHS Hospitals screenings, and optimize treatment
for health insurance claims. India has The Delhi High Court has ruled that planning.

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