Preventive Healthcare In India: How It Compares To Employee Health Insurance

Due to boisterous schedules and lifestyle choices, healthcare usually takes a backseat for most people. This results in the growth of conditions that can be weakening if not fatal unless monitored from time to time. With this in mind, we will be talking about preventive healthcare in India, it's importance and how it compares to health insurance. 

Stressful and unhealthy lifestyles have led to a notable increase in diseases like diabetes and hypertension. The Cardiology Society of India says that one-third of Indian adults suffer from hypertension. Two-thirds of them don't even know about it, making it a single silent killer in India. This is where preventive healthcare comes in.

Preventive healthcare means the measures taken to anticipate diseases instead of treating them. One is advised to go for a routine check-up even if the person seems healthy because lifestyle diseases are asymptomatic. Further, preventive healthcare is an essential determinant of health since prevention means avoiding or slowing down a disease that is essential for a good quality of life. 

The healthcare industry in India is at a critical juncture. It is poised on the verge of a transformation as it adopts new approaches, including technology, for helping consumers manage their health in a better manner. Preventive healthcare is also becoming an area of focus in most countries, and India doesn't seem to be any different. 

What Is Preventive Healthcare?

Preventive healthcare includes identifying and minimizing risk factors, existing disease course improvement, and early disease detection with the help of screening. 

The screenings help assess and reduce the risk of diseases and conditions such as hypertension and treat it before it manifests in the body for a major chronic and fatal disease like cardiac arrest. 

Aspects Of Preventive Healthcare In India

Primarily, preventive and wellness programs have the following aspects:

• Diagnostics and monitoring of health
• Healthy consumption
• Rejuvenation and wellness therapies
• Fitness and recreational sports

Due to a sharp rise in the curve of fitness awareness and management of lifestyle among Indians, by 2022, approximately 130 million health-conscious individuals will be actively taking preventative measures to ensure healthy living. Extensive internet adoption and technology like fitness-wearable devices, heightened awareness is further driving health-conscious people to go for comprehensive and appropriate programs. 

Workplace Interventions 

Corporates are increasingly looking at promoting preventive healthcare as an integral part of their overall wellness and welfare programs for their employees. Besides in-depth career development programs, they are also progressively investing in workplace health initiatives in order to facilitate a friendly and favorable environment for their employees. 

As per an ASSOCHAM report on preventive healthcare and its impact on the corporate sector, Re. 1 spend on prevention saves Rs. 133 in absenteeism costs and Rs. 6.62 in healthcare costs. 

With an orientation towards overall wellness, health maintenance has the upside of slowing down biological aging while knowing warning disease symptoms early. Preventive healthcare and wellness programs can also alter employees' behavior and further improve their risk profile. Moreover, it can positively impact their work productivity. 

Similarly, more surveys have indicated that more and more people consider well-defined employee benefits programs as a tiebreaker in their final job selection.

Importance of Preventive Healthcare in India

Healthcare costs are sky-rocketing around the world. Especially in India, when the bulk of the population lives below the poverty line, rising healthcare costs adversely affect access to affordable and quality healthcare services. 

Most of the time, people from the marginalized sections of society end up selling property and wedding rings to pay their medical bills. Due to low priority and budget on the primary healthcare centers, rural and semi-urban residents have often been deprived of fast and quality healthcare services, and private healthcare is prohibitively expensive.

For instance, organ transplants, chronic disease management, treatment of chronic diseases like health ailments, cancer, etc., cost lakhs of rupees. 

Health insurance provided by corporations sometimes covers a part of the medical bills. Redseer's report reveals that despite the growing awareness about health insurance, only one-fourth of the population is covered under some health insurance. 

With the cost of healthcare services becoming expensive with each passing day, the turn towards preventive healthcare will experience positive healthcare benefits and save millions in paying medical bills and providing employee health benefits. 

Importance of Health Insurance 

Purchasing a health insurance policy for your employees is essential because medical care is expensive, especially in the private sector. Furthermore, hospitalization can be expensive for your employees and derail the finances. 

Also, it will become even tougher for the family if the person who is the breadwinner is now in a hospital bed. However, you can avoid all this for your employees by purchasing the right group health insurance policy for your employees.  

A good health insurance policy would typically cover expenses made towards doctor consultation fees, ambulance charges, hospitalization costs, cost towards medical tests, and even post-hospitalization recovery costs to a certain extent. 

Difference Between Health Insurance and Preventive Health Care Plan 

Health InsurancePreventive Healthcare PlanEither denied to old aged or a higher premium is charged for insuranceOld-aged people are welcome and charges are the same.Pre-existing ailments are excluded up to the waiting periodPre-existing ailments are includedDental services excludedIncludes dental servicesCovers hospitalization expensesCovers day to day medical expensesThe cover is limited and exhaustibleThere is no limit to the card usageCovers serious illnessCovers diagnostic and preventive services 

We are Here to Help

Opting for health insurance early in life has several benefits. Since you are young and healthy, you can avail plans at lower rates and the advantage will continue even as you grow older. Besides, you will be offered more extensive coverage options while considering preventive healthcare in India. Most policies have a pre-existing waiting period which excludes coverage of pre-existing diseases. Nevertheless, this period will end while you are still young and healthy, giving you the advantage of exhaustive coverage that will prove useful if you fall ill later in your life. 

Plum offers comprehensive coverage and various benefits that can ensure your financial security. Our products cover day-care procedures, treatment at a wide network of hospitals, pre and post-hospitalization charges, and even insure your mental illness treatment among other things.