Can an Insurance Company Say NO Because of a Psychiatric Illness?

Can an Insurance Company Say NO Because of a Psychiatric Illness?

This is a problem that we may not think about, but if you have tried to seek medical care for a mental health issue, it’s something you might very well have had to deal with.

How it used to be:

For a long time, psychiatric illness was treated as a separate category altogether. Most health insurance policies simply excluded mental health conditions. Some companies even avoided issuing policies entirely if the individual had a psychiatric conduction. Blatantly discriminatory, but there was nothing much any one could really do about it.

The Game-changer:

The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 changed all of this. For the first time, it clearly stated that insurance for mental illness must be provided on the same basis as physical illness. After this, the IRDAI as well directed insurers to align their policies accordingly.

So today, a psychiatric diagnosis cannot be a standalone reason to deny insurance, mental health treatment cannot be automatically excluded from policy coverage, and any special conditions applied must be similar to how physical illnesses are handled.

Mental illness is a medical illness. If someone deserves insurance cover for diabetes or heart disease, they deserve it for depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia as well, both ethically and legally.

This an example of the law having evolved, and ensuring our systems follow suit.

The attitudes and prejudices towards mental health in our society however still have a long way to go.

Have you seen insurance issues stop patients from seeking psychiatric care?

Or claims being questioned simply because the diagnosis was psychiatric? Would love to hear what you’ve encountered and your thoughts about this.

#medicalinsurance #mentalhealth #psychiatry #medicallaw #healthcare #indianhealthcare