With mental illnesses risÂing, the Insurance RegulaÂtory Development AuthoriÂty wants insurers to start ofÂfering covers for that.
“Right now, mental illÂness is not covered. It needs to be covered because I think as the society is beÂcoming more modern, all kinds of mental illnesses are cropping up,” said J Hari Narayan, Irda chairman.
However, the issue is at a conceptual stage and stakeÂholders are yet to take a fiÂnal call on it, he said.
Irda is also telling insurers to design policies to inÂclude alternative systems of medicine.”There has been a greater concern on coverage for Ayush. Ayush is a generic term for alternative systems of medicine and in India, there are many types of alÂternative systems that are found to be effective. There is an increasing need (for coverage) perhaps. But how to capture that in insurance format needs to be looked at,” he added.
Extending health cover to HIV/AIDS people is another issue that has drawn the atÂtention of the regulator.
K V Ramana l DNA
