Most Indians unaware of employer-offered healthcare plans, benefits: Survey
This ignorance can lead to underutilization of preventive care, unawareness about healthcare benefits, financial vulnerability, and unrealistic expectations from healthcare plans
New Delhi: The coronavirus pandemic underscored the importance of health insurance among Indians, leading to the rise of group health insurance plans as a solution for providing affordable healthcare benefits. However, according to a survey, a critical challenge remains: lack of employee awareness about healthcare plans and their benefits.
This knowledge gap is concerning, as it could result in employees being underinsured and not fully leveraging their healthcare plans. It’s not just about insurance coverage but also access to doctor consultations, preventive care, mental wellness support, fitness plans, and more.
The survey, conducted by Onsurity, a subscription-based employee healthcare benefits provider, spanned cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, and Chandigarh. Approximately 90% of respondents were non-Onsurity members.
Alarming lack of awareness
The survey revealed that 6 of 10 had no idea who their employee healthcare benefits provider was, 9 out of 10 individuals had employer-provided healthcare coverage, but 2 in 10 didn’t know their sum insured. Less than 1 in 10 respondents used their employer-provided healthcare plan to file a health insurance claim. Moreover, 84% respondents only got a health check-up when their doctor recommended it, and 83% of those surveyed did not know whether their healthcare plan covered preventive health check-ups and the same percentage of people were unaware of the benefits their employer-provided healthcare plan offered.
About 71% of respondents were unsure whether their employer-offered healthcare plan covered their parents or not.
Ignorance is not always bliss:
This ignorance can lead to underutilization of preventive care, unawareness about healthcare benefits, financial vulnerability, and unrealistic expectations from healthcare plans. Employees often face high out-of-pocket expenses due to lack of awareness, resulting in millions of Indians falling into poverty each year.
Neglecting routine health check-ups often lead to chronic diseases that could have been prevented through early detection and intervention. Despite announcements and reminders, employees struggle to understand the benefits of preventive care.
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First Published:13 Apr 2023, 11:47 PM IST
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