Most insured stay in hospitals for under a day or over 10 days'

KOLKATA: Bulk of patients covered under health insurance stay in hospital either for less than a day or more than 10 days, data compiled for 2009-10 by Irda revealed.

About 32% of the claims paid are less than 5,000 per claim. In fact, about 80% of the claims paid are less than 25,000. As much as 50% of patients covered under health policies stay for two days or less and rest of the patients stay between three and nine days.

"The data suggests that there are more surgeries being performed due to advancement in medical techniques. So treatments which required prolonged hospitalisation have been shortened and with increased safety, more and more people opt for such type of treatments," BS Powdwal, head of health insurance at Bajaj Allianz General Insurance told ET.

"This is in line with our own claim experience. We feel that bulk of the medical expenses is for lifestyle diseases like cardiac aliments, joint disorder as well as gall bladder surgeries. These data can be considered for new product development such as exclusive product for major or specific ailments where the cost of treatment is high. This will in a way lower the cost of cover for simple or common illnesses," he said.

As much as 37% of the claims paid in rupees, as a result, are for patients staying for two days and less, while 28% are for those staying beyond 10 days. Claims paid for circulatory problems were the highest in both categories - less than a day and more than 10 days.

For patients staying less than a day, most of the claims paid in rupees were the result of eye operations, injury and pregnancy.

For those staying more than 10 days, bulk of the claims paid was for injury, digestive Adisorder and urology-related problem.