How Wellness has become the new fad in the Health Insurance Sector

There was a time when the term “healthcare” was related to one’s medical condition and cures for specific illnesses. However, with the rise in health-conscious consumers, there has been a shifting focus in the way health is being seen and maintained. The changing lifestyle, the sedentary workspace and the fast-paced life are leaving its toll on people, in general, requiring them to adopt special services to retain their health like gym sessions, spa, and therapies. Such services have always remained out of the “health insurance circles”. An effort is now being made to bring these services in the healthcare network.

There has been a rise in the number of people who are conscious about every aspect of their health. The consciousness ranges from what they eat, physical appearance and the longer they can remain active throughout the day. It has become a developing fad among people to come out of their busy lives and take out time to maintain their health and fitness.

Increasingly, healthy living measures are also being encouraged on a larger scale with the health insurance providers like Apollo Munich offering rewards to their consumers for staying active. Their health insurance quotes mention this Stay Active Benefit, conceived to raise physical activity levels and, in turn, health and fitness levels of individuals.

The Role of Insurers:
The insurance providers are trying to expand health insurance benefits in the form of providing discounts on various services that prove to be a preventive measure for many long-term diseases that the consumer may suffer. The main aim is to bridge the gap between the overall healthcare expenses and the amount that is borne by insurers. Reducing this gap will enable a proper tracking of the total expenditure on healthcare. It will also help to encourage the consumers to go for regular health check-ups, thus tracking diseases early and preventing critical diseases in the future.

Benefits Overview:
Let’s have a look at the advantages of the inclusion of wellness schemes in health insurance policies

Discounts and Rewards for Staying Healthy:
Some insurers also offer discounts on renewal premiums if you adopt a healthy lifestyle, or indulge in activities that can keep you healthy. For example, walking. The insurer usually offers a mobile app, which you can download and install on your smartphone. The app can be kept active and it’ll keep on counting your steps throughout the day. If you happen to meet the insurer’s criteria you end up getting up to 10% discount on the renewal premium.

Additionally, there are health plans offered specially for diabetic people. These plans not only cover the hospitalization expenses from day one, they also offer tips and guidance from experts for the insured.

OPD expenses covered:
Health Insurance has been known to cover pre and post-hospitalisation expenses. The Insurance Regulator has inserted new guidelines in which discounts on OPD expenses can also be availed by policyholders. OPD include the day-to-day medical costs incurred due to doctor visits, tests prescribed and the medicines bought. These costs are not as high as the hospitalisation costs, but it is often seen that to avoid these mini expenses, consumers do not go in for regular check-ups and ultimately may land up with a critical disease.

Other Services offered:
Insurers are forming a network with various service providers in the wellness industry to provide extended benefits to consumers. Customers can avail discounts on spa therapy, alternative treatments, Yoga, homeopathy, and beauty sessions. One of the most essential services that have now universally been acknowledged to contribute to secure the health of an individual is Yoga.

You may check various health insurance quotes available over the Internet to get to know about the services offered by different health insurance providers.

Benefits for employers:
An organisation requires full cooperation and dedication from its employees. But, in case the employees do not take regular health check-ups, their productivity is going to reduce automatically. The rate of absenteeism is high, and even though an employee may be present, he may not be able to give his full input because of lifestyle diseases like diabetes. Some insurers also offer group health insurance policies in which the discounts can be availed on the expenses incurred by organisations on the wellness programmes conducted for employees’ health check-ups and consultation.

So, the time is not far when we will see more people availing health insurance with the aim of benefiting from the wellness schemes in everyday life.