Cover Your Health in 5 mins
Compare Premium. Buy Now.
* Subject To Underwriting
health insurance calculator
 Call to Expert
+917304332968
 Chat on Whatsapp
+917304332968

Compare
Individual Health Insurance Plans

Pincode is required. Pincode should be 6 digits. Pincode should be 6 digits.Only numbers are allowed.
Old quotation number is required. Invalid quotation number.Sample: PIBLHEL000000000000000000
  • {{r.Name}}
Insured Age Required.

What Is Copayment in Health Insurance?

In health insurance, a copayment is a proportion of the claim amount that the policyholder is responsible for paying in the event of a claim. If your insurance coverage has a co-pay clause, you will agree to pay a portion of the medical bill out of pocket, with the remainder covered by the insurer. It normally ranges from 10% to 30% and is typically required under senior citizen health insurance policies. Consequently, the insurer is entitled to pay the remaining claim amount.

Unfortunately, in the health insurance landscape, fraudulent claims have a reputation for depleting policyholders’ money accounts. These methods have a harmful impact not only on insurance firms, but also on customers. For the same reason, companies have begun to provide the “Co-Pay” option, which would significantly lessen the insurance company’s liability by sharing the loss between the insured and the insurer.

Types of Copay Clauses in Health Insurance

Here are the different types of copay clauses in health insurance that are based on different scenarios:

  1. Medical Conditions Related Clause

Since treatments for such health issues are expensive, the insurance will always impose a copay clause in the case of pre-existing diseases, catastrophic illnesses, and so forth. In this instance, you will be responsible for a portion of the bill.

  1. Hospital-Related Clause

Only reimbursement claims are subject to a copay provision by insurers. That instance, when you are treated at a hospital that is not part of your insurer’s network. There are no copay clauses for cashless claims in such instances. Only in a network hospital can you make a cashless claim.

  1. Age-Related Clause

The older you get, the more likely you are to develop medical problems and issues. Isn’t it? There’s no denying the fact that the cost of treatment will rise as you become older. As a result, insurers will impose a copay requirement for senior persons in order to reduce risk. This is understandable because many health insurance policies have an upper age limit, making it harder for senior citizens to obtain coverage.

  1. Location-Related Clause

The secret is never hidden that medical prices in major metropolitan cities are comparatively higher than in smaller places. However, because the risk of medical spending is higher in larger cities, insurers may impose a copay clause to mitigate the risk.

  1. Reimbursement Claims

On reimbursement claims or on seeking care at a non-network hospital, some health insurance plans may impose a copay clause. Furthermore, in medical billing, cashless claims may not have a copay clause. As a result, you can see if these conditions apply to your insurance policy as well.

Features of Co-Payment

Listed below are the salient features of Co-payment that you should know:

  1. Majority is Covered by the Company: In this arrangement, the insurance company pays for the majority of your claim, while you are responsible for a specific amount of the costs. Even if a copayment clause is included, it is a modest percentage of the claim amount. This is due to the fact that the insurance company is still responsible for the majority of the claim.
  1. Covers Multiple Aspects: The co-pay feature applies to many medical services if not comprehensive and it includes hospitalization costs, medications, doctor’s fees, pathology tests, and other expenses. Co-payment terms and conditions may vary from one insurer to the next.
  1. Impact on Premium Amount: Lower premiums and greater due amounts during claim settlement result from higher copayments, and vice versa. You would have to pay greater premiums on your health insurance policy if you choose a smaller copayment level.
  1. Cost-Cutting: The primary motivation for health insurers to include a co-payment clause in their policies is to save money and prevent policyholders from filing needless claims.
  1. Applicability: When the likelihood of medical expenses is higher, a copay, also known as coinsurance, is frequently imposed. In the case of senior citizen health insurance policies, for example. People who live in metro cities are also more likely to be subject to the clause.

Understanding the Working of Copay

Let’s take an instance to understand

Ram who works in a bank earning INR 30,000 per month bought a health insurance cover worth INR 5,00,000. The percentage of co=-pay is agreed upon is 20%. Just after a few months, he got hospitalized and then claimed INR 2,00,000 for the hospitalization expenses.

This is where the importance of co-pay comes in!

According to the co-pay health insurance agreement, he will pay 20% of INR 2,00,000 that is INR 40,000.

The insurance company is entitled to pay the remaining INR 1,60,000 amount.

Benefits of Health Insurance Plan with a Copay Clause for Both Insurer & Insured

Here are the potential reasons to buy a health insurance plan with a Copay clause:

  1. Encourages Proper Use of Insurance Policies: Because a copayment entails you paying a portion of your treatment costs out of pocket, it raises your stakes in the situation. As a result, it encourages the policyholder to use the coverage responsibly and honestly.
  1. Reduces Cost of Insurance: For a reduced rate, a health insurance coverage with a co-payment option is offered. This occurs because the co-payment allows you to share the insurance company’s obligation, resulting in a lower rate for you. The lower the premium amount, the larger the co-payment.
  1. Prevents Policies from Being Abused: The most essential reason why insurance companies include a copay clause in their plans is because it helps policyholders from making needless claims. Customers are discouraged from seeking premium hospital care or boutique hospitals for minor ailments as a result of this restriction.

    A person might, for example, file a claim against the treatment of diseases that do not require a significant treatment cost. In this scenario, having a copay clause in place can help prevent insurance policies from being abused.
  1. People are Less Likely to be Admitted to Expensive Hospitals: People are less likely to be admitted to expensive hospitals if they have a health plan with a co-pay. Assume you have health insurance coverage with a 10% co-pay clause.
  1. Financial Risks are Reduced: When copay clauses are added in a health insurance policy, the insurer is not the only one who bears the financial burden of insurance claims; the policyholder also bears some of it. As a result, the insurance company is not required to pay the whole amount of the claim!

Things Should Be Consider Before Opting for Health Insurance with Copay Clause

The following are the factors that you need to consider before choosing co-payment in health insurance.

  1. Don’t Overlook Coverage Requirement: Even though health insurance plans with copayment clauses are often more affordable, it is critical that you analyze your coverage needs before choosing one. Furthermore, before choosing a plan with copay choices, be sure you have enough money to cover your portion of hospitalization costs.
  1. Plans are Relatively Cheaper: As previously stated, plans with a large copay are less expensive. This does, however, imply that you will be responsible for a percentage of the claim settlement.
    Note: The pandemic serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictability of medical costs, which can cause a great deal of mental and financial stress in one’s life.
  1. Prioritize Health Conditions: You may believe you are healthy and have no pre-existing conditions, so purchasing coverage with a high copay to save money makes perfect sense. But, Perish the thought, if unexpected medical bills arise, you may find yourself paying more for care. As a result, think about this before purchasing a coverage with a steep copay clause.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s the list of the frequently asked questions related to Copay clause in health insurance:

You pay a portion of the allowable claim amount to your insurance as a copay. If your policy has a copay clause, you and your insurer are sharing the risk. As a result, as compared to policies without a copay clause, the premium is lower.

When you purchase insurance, you will receive a policy document that has all of the pertinent information, including as inclusions, exclusions, copay clauses, copay percentages, and so on.

Without a doubt, it is also imposed on cashless hospitalization.

Health Insurers

FAQs