Karnataka stands third among states, after Maharashtra and Gujarat, in terms of COVID-19 insurance claims from the start of the pandemic until April 1, 2021. Patients of Karnataka have claimed Rs, 11,36,36,58,040 crore through public and private insurance so far. The figures for Maharashtra and Gujarat are Rs. 4,345 crore and Rs. 1,922 crore, respectively.
As per the analysis by Jeevan Rakshainitiative, average COVID-19 claims from some districts are higher than Bengaluru, although the cost of running a hospital in the metropolitan city is significantly higher. This is as per data from the General Insurance Council of India.
Patients in cities like Vijayapura, Yadgir, Belagavi, Chitradurga, Hassan, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi, Bagalkot, Shivamogga and Gadag claimed higher average COVID-19 insurance amounts than those in Bengaluru, which saw average medical insurance claim for COVID-19 at Rs. 1,42,000.
Mysore Sanjeev, Convener, Project Jeeva Raksha, stated that this clearly indicates that some of the hospitals in Karnataka are leveraging the helplessness of the general public and indulging in profiteering. “There is a need for uniform rates for Covid treatment across all districts in Karnataka. The government should relax the eligibility criteria for enrolling under the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (government health insurance cover). There are several instances wherein a large number of Covid patients have had to pay over Rs. 10 lakh towards hospitalisation. The family members had to borrow and also break their life’s savings to meet the hospitalisation charges,” headded.
