Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) Directs Health Insurers To Decide On Cashless COVID-19 Treatment Claims Within 1 Hour

Amid the raging second wave of the pandemic in the country, the insurance regulatory body Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has directed health insurers to settle and approve cashless Covid-19 treatment claims within 60 minutes. The Delhi High Court had recently asked insurers to communicate cashless approvals within 30-60 minutes so as to accommodate maximum number of patients and prevent delays in discharging treated patients.

There were recent reports that some hospitals were denying cashless facility to policyholders for treatment of Covid-19.

IRDAI has also asked the health insurers to convey their decision on final discharge of patients whose Covid claims are covered, within an hour of receiving the final bill from the hospital concerned.

The regulatory body emphasized that the requests must be processed promptly so that both, the authorisation for cashless treatment of COVID-19 and discharge of patients can be streamlined.

IRDAI also directed the insurers to issue directions to their respective third-party administrators for ensuring compliance with the timelines specified. All instructions will come into force with immediate effect, IRDAI said.