How Can You Help Your Maid, Driver, Etc. Get Health Insurance?

A basic health insurance cover of ₹5,00,000 today costs ₹7,600 per year. This might not seem like a huge amount for anyone with a steady 5–6 digit salary. But what about those who belong to low-income groups, like your maid, driver, etc.? They obviously won’t be able to afford such a high premium.

You might give your maid and driver festive bonuses, pay for their visits to their hometown, buy books and stationery for their children, and so on. But, have you ever considered helping them get health insurance - something that will not just be another perk on the list but will give them access to health care that would otherwise be unaffordable for them?

There are several government schemes and low-cost health insurance plans available in the market today. You can make your maid, driver, and others aware of these plans and even help them get insured under these plans. How? Let’s see!
 

How Can You Help Your Maid Or Driver To Get Health Insurance?

• Make Them Aware Of The Importance Of Health Insurance

  Even today, a majority of people in India avoid buying health insurance mainly because either they do not understand its importance or believe it is an unnecessary expense.

  Hence, before you help your maid or driver in getting a health insurance policy, make them understand its importance. Explain to them the benefits they will get if they purchase health insurance - how the policy will help cover the hospitalisation expenses they may incur in the future. You can then recommend affordable health insurance plans for them to consider.

• Recommend Affordable Health Insurance Options

  You should keep in mind that your maid or driver might not be able to afford high premium policies like the one you have insured yourself with. You must, therefore, recommend a policy that would offer them adequate coverage while yet being within their budget. Yes, you might be willing to pay their premiums, but remember that health insurance is a lifetime cover. So, in the long run, say, after they stop working for you, it must be viable for them to renew the policy on their own income.

  You could look into affordable plans offered through government schemes, or you could look into low-cost plans offered by insurance companies in the open market. In this article, we discuss both these options and learn how you can insure your maid or driver.
   

Health Insurance Cover Offered Under ‘RSBY’ - A Government Scheme

The Central Government introduced the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to cover those who are unable to afford health insurance due to its high cost. The goal of RSBY is to protect below-poverty-line households from financial liabilities resulting from health issues that necessitate hospitalisation.

The scheme was originally started under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, but it is now administered by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. RSBY is currently available as Ayushman Bharat Yojana and is the world’s largest and fully state-sponsored health assurance program.

• Benefits Available Under RSBY

• Sum Insured

  A sum insured of up to ₹30,000 will be provided per year on a family floater basis.

• Members Covered

  Health insurance coverage will be provided to up to 5 members of the family. Policyholders can add themselves, their spouse, and three dependents (can be either children or parents).

• No Waiting Period

  Waiting period is the duration for which certain diseases or treatments will not be covered under a policy. Under the RSBY scheme, no waiting period will be applicable for any disease/ treatment.

• Pre-Existing Disease Coverage

  A pre-existing disease refers to any condition, ailment, injury, or disease that is diagnosed or treated by a physician 48 months before the date of issuance of the health insurance policy. Pre-existing diseases will be covered from day 1 under RSBY.

• What Is Covered Under RSBY?

  Here’s a list of expenses that RSBY will cover -

• Hospitalisation Expenses

  Expenses incurred for the treatment of any disease, illness, or accident will be covered under RSBY. The coverage will be provided to both the policyholder as well as their family.

• Pre And Post-Hospitalisation

  RSBY will cover -

  Pre-hospitalisation expenses up to one day before the insured person gets admitted to the hospital.

  Post-hospitalisation for five days after the insured person is discharged from the hospital.

  Please note that RSBY will cover the pre and post-hospitalisation costs only if they are related to the illness/injury for which the insured person was hospitalised.

• Transportation Expenses

  Under RSBY, transportation costs of up to ₹100 per visit will be covered, up to a limit of ₹1,000 per year.

• Dental Treatment

  If a dental treatment is required as a result of an accident, RSBY will cover the costs of the dental treatment.

• Daycare Treatment

  Daycare treatments are also covered by RSBY, which may include eye/ear surgery, nose/throat surgery, radiotherapy, tonsillectomy, prostate surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, lithotripsy, etc.

• Maternity Expenses

  SBY will cover expenses incurred for delivery, both natural and caesarean. Natural delivery will be covered up to ₹2,500 and a caesarean delivery will be covered up to ₹4,500.

  Any complications that arise prior to the delivery will also be covered under RSBY. It will not cover expenses related to involuntary termination of pregnancy due to an accident, or a situation in which saving the mother is necessary.

• Newborn Baby Coverage:

  RSBY will cover the newborn baby even if the number of members covered under the policy exceeds the limit. The newborn baby will be covered until the policy expires. It is up to the policyholder to decide whether or not to extend the newborn’s coverage for subsequent renewals.
   

What Is Not Covered Under RSBY?

Here’s a list of things excluded, i.e., not covered under RSBY -

• Costs of medicines or drugs unless prescribed by the treating doctor

• Expenses incurred for treatment of HIV/AIDS

• Congenital external diseases

• Any illness caused due to excessive use of alcohol, drugs, or any intoxicating substance

• Hormone replacement therapy

• Fertility and assisted conception procedures

• Dental treatment that is corrective or cosmetic

• Change of gender treatments

• Any claim for hospitalisation that is not covered under the scheme will not be covered by the insurer
   

Alternative Option: Buy A Private Policy With Low Premiums

If you are unable to get information about the above government scheme, you could sponsor their coverage by purchasing one of the many private health insurance plans available in the market today. Private policies may include several limitations and conditions. So, to ensure they are not hassled at the time of a claim, make them understand the basic terms and conditions, financial limitations, exclusions, etc. - both short and long-term.

Here are some private health insurance plans that cost less than ₹500 per month that you might want to look into. These policies can be purchased directly from the insurance company’s website, or through a broker or aggregator’s website or through an agent.

Please note - The premiums in the above table are taken for a 30-year-old individual and for a sum insured of ₹ 3,00,000.
 

How Can You Make Sure That Your Maid Or Driver Is Insured?

To make sure they are insured you can help them to get the policies online. You can either get them enrolled in the above government scheme or you can buy a policy from the insurance company’s website for them. Let’s look at the steps involved in both the processes.

• Steps involved in enrolling your maid or driver under the government scheme

• Check Eligibility

  First and foremost, you will need to check whether or not they are eligible for the schemes. To check their eligibility -

  Visit the government website pmjay.gov.in

  Select the “Am I eligible” option.

  Enter their mobile number, ration card number, or HHD number (Household ID).

  If their name is on the eligible list, they can enrol in the schemes.

• Getting The Health E-Card

  Next, your maid or driver will need to visit the government kiosks that are set up at government hospitals, district collector offices, etc. The staff there will verify their details and provide them with the health e-card. Ensure that you inform them that the health card they receive must be kept safely and properly as it will be required for any future claims.

• Documents Required For Enrolment

  When your maid or driver visits the government kiosks, they will be asked to submit several documents in order to be enrolled, like -

  Aadhaar card for identity and age proof

  Ration card for residential proof

  Caste and income certificate.

• Steps involved in buying a policy from the insurer’s website -

• Visiting The Website & Filling Details

  You’ll have to visit the insurers website and select the policy you want to buy for them. Then, you will be asked to enter their basic details and choose the sum insured.

• Policy Verification & Issuance

After you fill in all the required details, the insurer will verify them and issue the policy.

When your maid or driver receives the policy document, ask them to keep it safe. Inform them that they will have to show the document to the hospital in case a claim arises in the future. You can also provide them with a list of all the documents they will need to submit when filing a claim, such as -

1. Policy copy or cashless card
2. Claim form
3. Past medical records leading to the hospitalisation
4. KYC for the patient
5. Police FIR (in case of accidents)

Wrapping Up!

So, that is all from our side today. It is important that you educate your maid, driver, etc. about the importance of health insurance as well as help them get an affordable health plan. You can enrol your maid, driver, etc. under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), a government scheme that helps those who cannot afford health insurance due to its high cost. Or you can help them invest in low-cost health insurance policies sold by insurance companies.