Does your Health Insurance Cover GYM and Sports Injuries?
Mediclaim insurance is a top priority necessity for every individual, irrespective of their financial conditions. During emergency situations where immediate treatment is demanded, family members of the affected may not always be present or be able to pay the hospital fee on demand. In extreme cases like those, Mediclaim insurance is easily processed in all network hospitals, approved with doctor’s permissions, and the transaction is complete in a cashless format, directly from the health insurance company to the hospital. This eliminates the loss of time, effort, and money while focusing on the patient’s recovery.
Huge series of factors may be the cause of high range injuries that need immediate treatment. In 2020, cycling sport had more than 400,000 reports on injuries, while exercising, gym, ATV and biking sports, and skateboard-related sports had a similar high count of reported injuries. Other famous sports like basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, and baseball have reported a high number of sports injuries as well. Cheerleading and ice hockey have high reports of concussions and fractures.
Accidents are prone to happen anywhere, especially in areas that demand active physical involvement. Mediclaim insurance has a list of terms and conditions on highly specific health insurance coverage for sports injuries. When gym and other sports activities are part of an individual’s routines, Mediclaim insurance that offers inclusive coverage of gym and sports injuries is essential. The terms of health insurance coverage need to be clarified with the insurer beforehand.
Health Insurance Cover for Sports Injuries
Initially, the exclusions list practiced by health insurance plans included several sports injuries. But they have been formulated to help the policyholder by expanding health insurance coverage to multitudes of sports-related accidents and conditions that require treatment. In the most recently updated Mediclaim insurance plans, coverage is excluded for only professional sportsmen and hazardous extreme sports activities. There are separate health insurance plans for professional sportsmen with different sets of terms and coverage. The average individual can claim health insurance cover for sports-related injuries. Nevertheless, the conditions and the specific sports-related injuries that are offered coverage, the exclusions or exceptions need to be clarified beforehand.
Each Mediclaim insurance plan has its own limitations and terms for covering gym-related and sports injuries. A condition that one health insurance plan may cover may not be offered coverage by another. The conditions that most health insurance plans put up for sports injuries are as follows:
- Policyholders below 18 years of age are not eligible for sports injury claims in Mediclaim insurance.
- Common routine injuries like sprains and other sports injuries that were self-inflicted are not offered coverage.
- Sports injuries inflicted overseas are not covered.
- Injuries caused by dangerous extreme sports like racing, mountaineering, scuba diving, etc., are put on the exclusions list.
- Most out-patient expenses (OPD) are not part of the health insurance cover.
- Sports injuries that are committed under the influence of drugs and other illegal substance abuse are not offered insurance coverage.
- Most intramural sports activities are insured. This means that sports played for leisure and everyday gym activities that may lead to injury are provided coverage. At the same time, sports events and tournaments are not supported under regular Mediclaim insurance plans. There are separate health insurance plans for professional and other organized sporting events.
While several sports-related injuries and accidents are supported by most the health insurance plans, some of the excluded high-risk sports are listed below:
- Motorsports – bike, car, go-kart
- Scuba diving below 30 meters
- Mountaineering – biking, cliff diving,
- Weapon usage – hunting, archery
- Trekking above 2,500 meters altitude
- Off-piste winter sports
- Boating activities more than 30 knots speed
- Adrenaline air sports – skydiving, bungee jumping, canyoning, parachuting
Benefits of Health Insurance Cover
There are three broad options for medical insurance – individual, family foster, and senior citizen Mediclaim insurance policy. Each health insurance plan comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. Consult with reliable insurers and health insurance companies to find a health insurance plan that best suits your requirements and budget.
Among the several reasons why you must take up medical insurance for yourself and your family, some of the basic benefits of medical insurance are as follows:
1. Savings Protection: The high costs for healthcare make it almost impossible to gather the necessary funds during times of emergencies and during medication or treatment needs. The inflation in the medical industry makes it very difficult to save up for healthcare. There are new treatment methods introduced on a regular basis, raising the cost of treatment along with it.
In several instances, paying for medical support can cause a serious dent in one’s life savings. By equipping the appropriate health insurance plan, you can keep your life savings intact and avail of basic medical support as well.
2. Security for Family: The uncertainty of accidents and medical conditions make it emotionally and financially weary for family members. Providing the security of healthcare through Mediclaim insurance can be one of the best things you can do for your family. With medical insurance, readily available cashless payments are processed directly to the respective hospital, thus permitting space for immediate treatment.
3. Comprehensive Coverage: An extensive list of health ailments, emergency cases, maternity, and other necessary surgeries, inclusive of pre and post-hospitalization expenses, are covered by most health insurance plans. The perks that each health insurance cover is unique to their own and needs to be discussed with the insurer before signing up. Some health insurance plans offer doctor consultation, boarding fees, diagnosis and reports, long-term treatments, ambulance calls, and medication are part of some health insurance coverage.
4. Income Tax Benefits: In attempts to encourage more people to sign up for medical insurance plans, the government offers legally approved tax deductions for every insurance premium payment.
