he Coronavirus infection has impacted thousands of people worldwide. For those impacted, the stress goes beyond health and involves high medical costs, loss of pay (in some case) and associated financial stress.

It is important for people to be aware that if they have a regular health insurance plan from any insurer paying for medical costs either through a cashless facility or reimbursement, all illnesses including Covid-19 are covered.

Further in view of serious challenges by this pandemic for customers, Edelweiss General Insurance has taken the following steps for its customers:

As mentioned above, the Edelweiss Health Insurance policy covers COVID-19. However, they have decided to cover hospitalization for not only those who have a confirmed diagnosis but also those who have been quarantined in specific facilities identified by the government. The coverage amount is up to the sum insured under the policy
Further for quarantined patients, the health policy ensures coverage for the entire period of quarantine with upto 100% of the claim amount being paid against quarantine and detection charges
In case any patient is in a remote location and is unable to reach the hospital during the quarantine period, Edelweiss Health Insurance will support domiciliary hospitalisation for the patient. Patients can visit any nearby hospital for immediate treatment and expenses will be reimbursed. In case of cashless benefits, patients are requested to visit EGI's Network hospital with their TPA card for any medical assistance
To be able to support customers in this extraordinary situation, EGI has sought and received approval from IRDAI, allowing waiver of the initial waiting period of 30 days post policy inception, for the first time, for COVID-19 virus coverage. This approval will be applicable, both for Edelweiss Health Insurance and Edelweiss Group Health Insurance policies, till such time that the virus is declared as abated by the Government and/ or WHO.
Edelweiss General Insurance also has an innovative and modular product structure with their Group Total Protect, under which they can customize solutions to provide cover against a wide range of illnesses including pandemics and vector borne diseases, at affordable costs. Any employer or other existing groups can customize this for their employees, customers or members using the following features:

Selection of Sum Insured
Reimbursement of costs (upto the sum insured) incurred in India or worldwide (depending on the cover selected) towards diagnostic testing, pharmacy and consultation for the illnesses including expenses incurred towards Corona virus treatments
Fixed amount of Hospital Daily Cash which could be used to cover their expenses from day one up to a maximum of 30 days.
In the context of Covid-19, this policy can take care of hospitalization expenses of the insured along with incidental expenses which are not usually covered under a policy. And all this coverage comes at a very affordable cost. This product is a great way for small businesses and start-ups to provide the much-needed basic accident and health cover to their employees.

A benefit package providing Rs. 25,000/- of Accident cover, Rs. 2000 per day of hospitalization up to a maximum of 15 days and out-patient expenses of Rs. 10,000/- can be purchased anywhere between Rs.50/- and Rs.100/- per person per year. The benefits and amounts can be customized to the specific needs of the group.

Speaking on the development, Shanai Ghosh, CEO, Edelweiss General Insurance, said, "I urge people to be aware of risks and stay safe in this current environment. Hygiene and social distancing are first lines of defence for everybody to safeguard themselves from COVID-19. In an unfortunate situation of being detected and testing positive, or suspected and quarantined in a facility specified by the government, we have ensured that at least the cost burden is eased for our customers. And with our Group Total Protect policy, we can provide basic accident and health cover for a variety of infectious diseases including Coronavirus at an affordable cost."

Edelweiss General Insurance has one of the most innovative products in the health segment, offering unique services like zero deposit admissions, zero-minute discharges and emergency assistance services. This is in line with the Company's emphasis on being accessible and relevant to customers aligned to their evolving needs.