Why is it important to have more network hospitals in your health insurance policy?

According to a Health India XP Survey 2020, cashless claims accounted for only 32% of the health claims made by the survey participants. A majority of the claims, i.e. 68% was settled on a reimbursement basis.

One of the best facilities offered by health insurance policies is the facility of cashless claim settlements. Under the cashless benefit, hospital bills are handled directly by the insurer. You don’t get the burden of the bills on your head. Thus, cashless benefits are beneficial for your pockets as they do not feel the strain of the hospital bills.

However, a cashless facility is available only if you take treatments in network hospitals. Plus, you need to follow the cashless process properly to get the claim settled easily. So, if you analyse the above-mentioned stats, one of the reasons for low cashless claim settlement figures can be the lack of treatments in network hospitals. How do you resolve that?

One of the ways to ensure cashless claim settlement is ensuring a wide network of hospitals in the insurer’s tie-up. If your insurer has a tie-up with a maximum number of cashless insurance hospitals, the probability of cashless claims becomes higher. As such, it is important for you to check the list of network hospitals in your best health insurance policy.

That being said, if you compare the number of network hospitals, you would find similar numbers across insurers. After all, insurers tie-up with most of the leading hospitals to gain a competitive edge over their competitors. Then what do you check?

Checking the network hospital goes a little deeper than just checking the number of cashless insurance hospitals. Here’s what you should check –

1. The hospitals in your city
   The most important thing to check is the number and name of hospitals in your city that are within the network of the insurer. Since in emergencies you are most likely to end up at a local hospital, it is important to ensure that the major hospitals in your city fall in the cashless network of the insurer.
2. The hospitals in your locality
   To refine the search further, look for the cashless network hospitals in your area. In the case of emergencies and in sickness, the neighbourhood hospital is the one preferred by most. So, if the neighbourhood hospital is not within the network of the insurer, you would not be able to avail of a cashless claim settlement. So, check the insurers that have a tie-up with your most favoured neighbourhood hospitals so that cashless claims become easier.
3. The hospital recommended by your doctor
   Another important thing to consider is whether your family doctor or your consulting doctor advises the hospital for treatments or not. It is a common problem wherein your consulting doctor might recommend a hospital that is not within the network of your insurer. In one-off cases, you can opt for reimbursements. However, if you have a regular doctor, it is better you check whether the referred hospital is tied-up with your insurer or not. This would ensure that you can get cashless claims easily.

Wide network of hospitals

So, while it is important to have more cashless insurance hospitals in the network of the insurer, it is equally important to check the list of hospitals. What is good for your friends might not be good for you. Just like your choices differ with your friends, the choice of your best health insurance policy should also depend on your needs, not on the needs of your friends.

So, check the network of cashless hospitals when committing to a health insurance plan. Move beyond the number and look a little deeper. When comparing, use the afore-mentioned points to find a plan that offers cashless coverage in the hospitals that you prefer. The comparison would become a bit more researched but at least the claim process would become smoother and hassle-free.

Why SANA.Insure?

To find the most suitable health plans that have a wide number of network hospitals, you can visit SANA.insure. Sana Insure is tied-up with leading insurers in India that have the best network coverage in terms of hospitals. You can also refine your search and check the network hospitals in your city to make a better decision.

With over hundred plus health insurance plans available from 27 general and health insurance companies in India hosted on the website, you will have a wide variety of choice to shortlist and compare across plans, features and benefits before finalizing your perfect fit. So, whether you are looking for health insurance for family, maternity benefits, health insurance for parents or senior citizens health insurance, SANA.Insure can guide you with the right inputs based on your personal requirements for making an informed decision.

If you need hand-holding when choosing the best health insurance cashless plan, you can also speak to our health experts and find a plan matching your needs. Our Health Insurance Experts are happy to help you should you need any assistance along the way. Please get in touch with us over WhatsApp chat on 8278271818 or call us on 18002028118 for more information.

Wish you a healthy and happy life!