Madras High Court has directed the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to treat AYUSH treatments the same as Allopathy treatments with regards to reimbursement of expenses.
According to a report by Live Law, Justice Anand Venkatesh emphasized the work done by AYUSH doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and added that traditional medicines were also recommended to the infected patient under AYUSH which provided relief to several patients.
Therefore the Madras HC asserted that it would be irrelevant to deprive policyholders of getting reimbursements for the amount spent on AYUSH treatments under the medical insurance.
The court also said that an individual decides to either opt for an AYUSH treatment or an Allopathic treatment, therefore, the expenses incurred in either of the treatments had to be placed on equal scales.
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The judge said giving preference to allopathy would be discriminatory and directed IRDAI to draft a policy keeping AYUSH treatments in mind.
The Madras HC also asked IRDAI to encourage traditional treatments like AYUSH. It said patients who undergo such treatments should be entitled to receive the insurance amount for the expenses incurred by him.
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The Madras HC was hearing two pleas filed by an advocate and a clerk claiming full reimbursements of the amount by their respective insurance companies.
The petitioners had taken the policies for a sum of ₹5 lakh and ₹4 lakh respectively after getting Covid treatment at Siddha Hospital and had sought reimbursements for their expenses.
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The insurance company said that the policies were by IRDAI’s regulations under which a cap was placed on the maximum amount of reimbursements that could be provided for availing treatment at AYUSH hospitals.
The company said that for the policies of the sum of ₹5 lakh, the maximum cap fixed was ₹5 lakh and for ₹4 lakh policies, the amount was fixed at ₹10,000 which was reimbursed to the petitioners.
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The court noted that expenses incurred for treatment only included allopathy.
The Court recorded that insurance firms involved in the present case had drafted new policies for comprehensive coverage of AYUSH treatments and directed IRDAI to ensure reimbursements for allopathic as well AYUSH treatments on a similar scale.
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Published: 06 Dec 2023, 10:23 AM IST