It is easy to file a health insurance claim if one
knows the steps involved. Follow our 5-step guide.
Hospitalisation for a disease or accident can cause
tremendous financial distress. Hence, people invest in medical insurance to
combat the loss of revenue to pay for hospitalisation. With a good health
insurance policy, one can be certain of recovering the costs related to
treatment and hospitalisation.
However, not knowing the steps involved in filing insurance
claims can result in unnecessary delays. It is a very simple process on the Max
Bupa health insurance platform. You can download the claims form from their
portal and follow the steps outlined. There is also a helpful primer given on
their portal for Cashless Hospitalisation claims.
We demystify the claims filing process for you in 5 simple
steps:
1. Know your time frame.
Time is of the essence in filing health insurance claims.
Look up the claim details in the policy document. Normally, you must file for
insurance within 7 days of discharge from hospital/completion of treatment.
Your claim may lapse if filed later.
2. Gather all bills and receipts.
This includes hospital room bills, doctor’s visit fees,
medicine bills, and pre- and post-operative surgery bills for medicine and
therapy. Keep all the relevant bills separately so they do not get damaged or
misplaced. Make two photocopies of each bill in colour. Understand which head
of expenses and treatments the policy covers, so you will not be left puzzled
if only a part of the expenses are reimbursed by insurance.
3. Get the claims form.
You can easily get the claim reimbursement form from the Max
Bupa health insurance portal. The form will require details about the insurance
policy, the reason for hospitalisation, ID proof of the claimant, personal
details, etc. In case of reimbursement claims, the form must be signed and
sealed by the treatment centre or hospital where the claimant took treatment.
In case of cashless hospitalisation, a pre-authorisation request is made by the
hospital directly to the insurance provider. Once the provider verifies the
claim, the claims form is filled by the claimant.
4. Get the documents in order.
You have to submit originals of every document – claim form,
bills, policy document – to the insurance provider. Make two photocopied sets
of every document (in case the original set is misplaced) and keep one set for
yourself. Arrange the documents in chronological order to avoid confusion while
studying the claim.
5. Dispatch the documents via post or courier.
Though most other functions in health insurance like renewing the policy
and purchasing a new one can be done online, claim filing cannot be done
online. The documents required must be original and should affix your
signature. Do not scan the documents and email them. Claims filed and
dispatched over the Internet are normally not entertained. Address the package
to the insurance provider’s main office in your city.
