750 Crore Health Insurance Scheme for Tamil Nadu


Rs.750 Crore Health Insurance Scheme for Tamil Nadu

Bangalore: The all new Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme to benefit 1.34 crore families in Tamil Nadu was launched by Chief Minister Jayalalitaa. A cheque worth 183.64 crore was issued to the United Indian Insurance Company Limited as the first quarterly insurance installment to implement the scheme. Chief Minister and the Secretariat approved seven beneficiaries of the scheme and distributed identity cards to mark the inauguration. The focus is to open up 260 hospitals in total, with at least six in each district and several more in cities like Coimbatore, Chennai and Madurai. A sum of 750 crore is calculated as the government's annual spend on insurance scheme. The sum guaranteed for each family would be 1 lakh per year for a total period of four years which sums up to 4 lakh. In the case of certain procedures, the ceiling would be raised to 1.5 lakh per annum. As per the directions of the Project Director of Tamil Nadu Health System Society, person in need of treatment will be identified through once-a-month health camp conducted by network hospitals. People who already hold a smart card from earlier scheme will be issued a fresh Health Insurance identity card that uses biometrics. The card has to be shown at assistance counters in hospitals to claim the insurance. In order to enjoy the benefit of cashless facilities, the authenticities of patient's identity has to be submitted by the district medical officer (DMO) of the hospital to the liaison officer for verification. Approval of the request by Project Officer provides the treatment required by the patient within the domain of scheme's provisions. Patients who own smart cards but were not identified through health camps can also be benefited through insurance. Around 1,016 treatments are expected to be covered through this scheme, including treatments for infants, followed by 113 follow-up treatments and 23 diagnostic procedures.