The insurance regulator has deleted a set of items for which optional cover could be offered by insurers. These include dental treatments, hormone-replacement therapy, infertility, psychiatric disorders and HIV/AIDS, among others.
This would mean that these procedures could be made part of standard insurance policies. Further, some of them could even be made mandatory.
Earlier, these procedures were included in the list of items for which insurers could give an optional cover. These were part of the guidelines on standardisation of health insurance business. Further, the IRDAI circular has said that aesthetic treatment or surgeries will not be made a part of the list.
In July, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) had constituted a working group to standardise the exclusions under health insurance products. The regulator has set up a ten-member working group to look at minimising the exclusions that are prevalent in policies.
According to the guidelines on standardisation of health insurance, about 199 items are in the list where optional cover can be offered by insurance companies. Some of them include medical accessories like bandages, x-ray film, slings; while there are others like internet facility, baby products among others.
These items are usually offered as an add-on on payment of additional premium. These items are part of the standard exclusions under health insurance products.
