Increasing pollution in Delhi and its adjoining areas is continuously increasing diseases. Due to which people are getting admitted in the hospital and using health insurance. In view of the increasing claims in Delhi NCR in recent times, health insurance companies are considering increasing the premium. According to the information available, companies can increase the premium up to 5 percent at the national level.
Breathing Complaints Increased
However, as of now, the insurance companies do not have any data, so that it can be proved that how many people have become ill due to air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Not only this, no hospital also has such data. But breathing complaints have definitely increased in the last few weeks.
In fact, the number of people claiming medical claims has increased in the last few weeks. Settlement expenses of insurance companies have increased due to the increase in the number of claims. Professionals say that companies are considering increasing the insurance premium of such people, who are most prone to pollution. These people include senior citizens, children, people working in the open and people already suffering from respiratory diseases.
Pollution increases the risk of diseases such as bronchitis, asthma and lung cancer. However, India does not yet have the facility to fix premium on geographical basis. But the way the pollution outbreak is increasing in some parts of the country, in view of this, steps like fixing the premium on geographical basis can be taken. Because the insurance regulator IRDAI allows premium to be determined on geographical basis.
Ashish Mehrotra, MD and CEO of Max Bupa Health Insurance, says that insurance companies are in the forefront of setting zone-based premiums, so that different areas have different premiums according to pollution. He says that in cities where the level of pollution is above danger, there should be a higher premium, while those where the air is pure should not be charged more in the name of pollution.
