Good News For Care Health, Bajaj Allianz Policyholders! AHPI Withdraws Order To End Cashless Hospital Facility

In a big development for the health insurance policyholders of Care Health and Bajaj Allianz, the Association of Healthcare Providers has revoked its order to end the cashless hospital facility for these two insurance providers, reported CNBC TV 18 on Thursday.

GoodReturns couldn't independently verify the development. Earlier, the AHPI had issued notice to both the insurance providers stating that cashless hospital treatment for its customers will no longer exist at AHPI network hospitals.

The AHPI consists of a network of over 20,000 hospitals, which includes leading hospital chains like Max Super Specialty, Fortis Escorts, etc.

The decision has been announced after a meeting held between AHPI, Care Health and Bajaj Allianz officials. According to AHPI's notice (revoked now) cashless hospital treatment facility will end for customers from 1 September.

"Please rest assured that valued customers of Care Health Insurance will always receive seamless cashless services at all our network hospitals. We continue to work closely with each one of our partner hospitals to ensure our customers experience the quality care they deserve," commented Manish Dodeja, Chief Operating Officer, Care Health Insurance.

The announcement was made to deal with the discrepancies related to hospital bill payments and reimbursement by Care health insurance and Bajaj Allianz. The decision will be a big relief for Bajaj Allianz and Care Health insurance policy holders.

Earlier, Economic Times had reported that Bajaj Allianz has consistently rejected AHPI's proposal to review tariff rates biennially to align with medical inflation and has demanded tariff reductions. Additionally, AHPI members have accused Bajaj Allianz of delaying claim settlements and discharge approvals.

Health insurance providers offer cashless treatment facility to policyholders. The facility allows customers to avail themselves of medical treatment without paying any money out of their pocket. In such cases, the insurance provider directly settles the customer's claim with the hospital.

Earlier, CARE Health Insurance had released an official statement, saying that it is attempting to amicably solve the issue with the forum and will keep its customers' interest on priority.

"The said communication is generic and does not carry any details such as, names of affected providers, tariff or claim deduction challenges etc. We have had a sustained, progressive association with AHPI, and even today connected with the forum to get specific information in this regard. However, they were unable to provide any specific details. We have also reached out to hospitals ( Members of AHPI) who haven't mentioned any challenges with our services."

GIC Reaches Out To AHPI

Raising concerns about the AHPI's notice to Care Health and Bajaj Allianz, the General Insurance Council on Tuesday had also urged the AHPI to withdraw its advisory. The council had also asked all the stakeholders to engage constructively with the insurers while continuing to provide cashless services to all insurance policyholders.