Osteoarthritis Insurance

Osteoarthritis is basically a chronic pain condition caused by cartilage damage or inflammation in joints, most notably the spine, knees, and hips. Based on the severity of the ailment, there may be significant stiffness in the joints while attempting to use them, which is frequently accompanied by discomfort.

There isn't any one cause of osteoarthritis. However, it is believed that females (over the age of 50), who are overweight, have a family history of arthritis or osteoarthritis, and have been professional athletes, are likely to develop this health condition.

Osteoarthritis is classified into two main types:

Primary: It's the most common type of osteoarthritis. The most commonly affected areas of the body are the spine, fingers, knees, thumb, big toes, and hips.

Secondary: It occurs in the presence of an already existing joint abnormality, such as trauma or injury, like sports-related or repetitive; inflammatory arthritis, like psoriatic, gout, or rheumatoid; genetic joint disorders like Ehlers-Danlos (popularly known as double-jointed or hypermobility); metabolic joint disorders; or congenital joint disorders.

The following are the most prevalent osteoarthritis symptoms:

• Stiffness in the joint
• Joint pain
• Reduced range of motion and loss of flexibility
• Inflammation
• Soreness or discomfort while pressing your fingers on the affected regions
• Extra lumps of bone, or bone spurs (typically painless)
• Crepitus, or crackling, popping, grating, or clicking sounds while moving your joints

As osteoarthritis becomes more advanced, the pain connected with it becomes more acute. Swelling in the joint as well as the surrounding region might occur over time.

Joint damage is the root cause of Osteoarthritis. This damage can accumulate over the course of time, and it is the reason why age is one of the biggest causes of joint deterioration that leads to osteoarthritis. The more you age, the more repetitive stress you have had on your joints.

Other factors that contribute to joint damage include:

• Poor posture
• Obesity
• Joint malformation
• Past injuries like dislocated joints, ligament injuries, or torn cartilage

Certain risk factors make you more likely to get Osteoarthritis. They are as follows:

• Genetic factors - family history with osteoarthritis
• Women have a higher prevalence of osteoarthritis than males
• Having undergone menopause
• Being a minimum of 50 years
• Having a job that requires climbing, kneeling, heavy lifting, or other similar strenuous actions
• An injury history
• Having another health condition that badly affects your joint condition, like diabetes or another form of arthritis

Osteoarthritis can be classified into four stages. Let us get to know them in more detail:

• Stage 1: It's a mild stage in which the joints have only seen modest wear and tear causing little or no discomfort in the affected area.
• Stage 2: Bone spurs grow more noticeable, and the affected region feels stiff. Patients may require a brace in this situation.
• Stage 3: At this stage, the cartilage surrounding joints begins to deteriorate. As a consequence, patients may feel irritation and pain while carrying out typical daily activities.
• Stage 4: The illness has now progressed to the point that individuals are frequently in excruciating agony. In the third stage, cartilage is completely destroyed, resulting in inflammatory joints. Furthermore, the patient may experience excruciating pain due to bone spur overgrowth.

Typically, diagnosing osteoarthritis entails a number of steps. Doctors may order blood testing, imaging, or several other physical examinations based on what they find from your symptoms or medical history.

The doctor searches for indicators of osteoarthritis while examining your medical history and performing a physical exam. For instance, if the patient's pain level increases when conducting activity and decreases when resting. They also note whether the patient is 45 or older. They also concentrate on morning stiffness that generally lasts around 30 minutes, reduced range of motion, and swollen bony joints.

There are more procedures that contribute to how this ailment is diagnosed. These are as follows:

• MRI and X-rays
• Joint Fluid Analysis
• Blood Tests

OA therapy focuses on symptom control. The sort of treatment that will be most beneficial to you will be determined by the intensity of your symptoms as well as their location.

OTC (Over-the-counter) medicines, lifestyle adjustments, and home remedies are frequently sufficient to relieve pain, stiffness, and oedema.

• Medications: A variety of osteoarthritis medications are available that can assist in offering relief. They are as follows:
• Cymbalta
• Corticosteroids
• NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
• Topical pain relievers
• Oral pain relievers (Tylenol or acetaminophen)

Your healthcare provider might advise you to use over-the-counter medications at first.

• Heat and Cold Therapy: Well, heat and cold therapy is another therapeutic option that doctors might offer. This involves alternately applying heat and cold compresses for 15 to 20 minutes many times each day.

• Weight Management: Being obese or overweight puts direct strain on your joints, and if this persists, people begin to endure excruciating discomfort. In this instance, losing some weight will be beneficial. In reality, there are several advantages to keeping a healthy weight, such as lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

• Adequate Sleep: Getting sufficient sleep might sometimes be more beneficial than medicines. When you adequately rest your muscles, for instance, it reduces swelling and inflammation in the area.

• Regular Exercise: Even though it might be unpleasant at first, exercise is necessary to maintain your joints supple and strong. Regular activity improves muscular strength and thus helps alleviate excess weight off your joints. It also increases joint mobility and reduces stiffness and pain.

• Health Diet: A well-balanced diet contains important nutrients that maintain your joints flexible and healthy. It also helps to avoid obesity, which is a major cause of arthritis. People with arthritis should eat a variety of vegetables and fruits, grains, eggs, potatoes, milk, and other nutritional foods.

In our hectic lives, there’s always the possibility of being ill unexpectedly and necessitating costly treatments, and if it’s treating osteoarthritis, the cost simply rises. There is always the possibility that someone close to us may be suffering from a chronic ailment like osteoarthritis that needs long-term care.

Fortunately, health insurance is available. Health insurance guarantees that long-term treatment does not put a family in financial jeopardy. You can obtain osteoarthritis insurance coverage under a medical insurance policy. It will protect your finances against the unexpected costs of medical procedures.

In this way, not any osteoarthritis insurance, but health insurance, in general, serves as a safeguard for both funds and healthcare, allowing you and your loved ones to continue living their lives.

• Puts Your Financial Worries at Bay during Medical Emergency: It is expensive to get treated at a top-notch medical centre. When a family member is diagnosed with osteoarthritis, many find it difficult to manage their money.
  Even today, most of India's population lacks medical insurance. In such cases, individuals use their money, take out loans, or sell possessions to pay for therapies. However, the wise thing to do is enrol in a health insurance plan, which will help you safeguard your cash and your health.

• Healthcare Expenses Are Rapidly Growing: The rapid rise in medical expenditures necessitates the purchase of health insurance. Medical trend rate, or the growth in per-person costs due to medical inflation. This rate is predicted to climb twice faster than the rate of inflation in India.

In India, the medical trend rate is expected to be 10%, with inflation at 5%. Osteoarthritis continues to be the top two largest claims recorded by most insurers, followed by respiratory ailments. With a comprehensive health insurance policy, you can successfully combat crucial illnesses like osteoarthritis and heart disorders.

• Hospital Expenses Involve a Variety of Items: Hospital treatment involves more than just surgery. Medical check-ups, doctor consultation charges, and medications can all cost more than the actual hospitalisation costs. Diagnostic testing and post-operative care, like having a medical attendant at the house, are very expensive. Add it all up to discover why medical treatment appears to be so pricey.

Health insurance packages cover a wide range of diseases and operations. They also address other elements of medical care. Health insurance policies pay out money without requiring a full breakdown of all treatment expenses. It is reimbursed to the insured in full upon submission of the initial diagnosis report.

• Tax Benefits: Well, most of you might know about health insurance tax benefits. For those unknown to it, let us say that if you pay the premium for a health insurance policy, you may deduct a maximum of ₹25,000 from your income (taxable).

If you are below 60 years, you are eligible for this benefit as per the Income Tax Act (Section 80D). If you, as well as your family members, are all over the age of 60, the maximum deduction is ₹50,000. The same advantage applies to the premiums you pay for your parent's health insurance policies.

The significance of medical insurance in India might vary depending on the individual. This is where Tata AIG excels. We have a long list of health insurance policies that are customised based on an individual's unique needs. If you're planning to purchase medical insurance anytime soon, consider getting yourself insured with Tata AIG. The following are some of the advantages of having health insurance with us:

• Cashless Hospitalisation: Cashless hospitalisation is one of the handiest and vital aspects of Tata AIG health insurance policies with maternity benefits. You do not need to make any financial preparations during your osteoarthritis treatment.

• Comprehensive Coverage: Tata AIG's comprehensive health insurance includes pre- and post-hospitalisation expenditures, along with miscellaneous costs such as medications, ambulance services, hospital room rent, and doctor's consultation fees.

• Financial Backup: Due to the rising expenses of medical treatment and hospitalisation, health insurance is a highly recommended investment. If you have such coverage, you will be financially protected against the high medical costs of procedures such as diagnostic testing, routine check-ups, and surgery.

• Affordable Premiums: Are you honestly afraid that such a plan would be out of your price range? Because it offers comprehensive coverage at a moderate premium cost, Tata AIG’s comprehensive health plans may set your mind at ease. Charges, however, may vary significantly based on age and level of coverage. You may use our online health insurance premium calculator to compare them.

All these points only emphasise how important it is to have health insurance for osteoarthritis.

Before obtaining any health insurance plan, it is critical to undertake comprehensive research. It would be useful to consider the following factors while choosing a medical insurance policy:

• Family Health Insurance: When choosing health insurance policies, bear in consideration your family members' ages and their gender. Consider their current ailments, if any, along with the family's medical history before purchasing medical insurance. Additionally, before purchasing, ask your family members whether they have any pre-existing ailments.

• Claim Procedure: The straightforward the insurance claims procedure is, the faster they are settled, and the better it’s for the insured. Consequently, when it comes to policy choices, these two are critical. Fine customer service is an additional benefit to look for.

• Network Hospitals: Always verify with the insurance company about the cashless hospital network. When a medical emergency or hospitalisation occurs, the hospitals in the network provide a cashless option—the insurance company covers the medical expenses directly with the hospital. Choose insurers with a large network of hospitals, like Tata AIG, which has over 7,000 hospitals in its network.

Every Tata AIG medical insurance policy is distinguished by its broad policy coverage. Consider some of the most typical coverage options available through our health insurance plans. Also, you should be aware of the exclusion list before purchasing a health insurance policy for yourself or your loved ones.

• Inclusions

• Daycare treatment

• In-patient hospitalisation

• Pre/Post Hospitalisation

• OPD treatment

• Organ donor expenses

• Emergency ambulance

• Domiciliary hospitalisation

• Exclusions

• Cosmetic surgery or plastic surgery

• Sanatorium treatment, rest cure, rehabilitation measures, respite care, private duty nursing, custodial care, or long-term nursing care

• Every preventive care, vaccination including immunisations and inoculation (post-bite treatment - special case)

• Treatment provided by a medical practitioner that is outside of his/her speciality.

• Personal comforting and convenient items such as television, access to telephone calls, foodstuffs (excluding patient's diet), internet, cosmetics, beauty or barber service, body care products, or guest service.

Tata AIG offers its policyholders the best health insurance policies. If you want to buy it online, we can tell you that the entire procedure will be simple and straightforward. All you need to do is carefully follow the instructions below:

• Go to our website and select for who you want to buy the health insurance. You have the option to buy health insurance for yourself, your spouse, your children, and your parents.
• Once you determine the insured, click on ‘Get Plan’.
• Provide the required information to get the best plans suggestion from us
• On the next page, select the sum insured from the drop-down to see the premium amount.
• You can compare the plans to see what suits you best.
• Select the plan you want to go ahead with, and click on ‘Buy Now’.
• Our experts will reach out to you for further assistance.

Notify Tata AIG as soon as you are admitted to the hospital for osteoarthritis treatment. This permits us to start the claim process. The claim settlement may be cashless or in the form of compensation, depending on the hospital where you are hospitalised. Here is how to File a Cashless and Reimbursement Insurance Claim:

• Cashless Insurance Claim

You can use the cashless claim resolution option when seeking medical care at one of Tata AIG's network hospitals.

• You must complete an insurance claim application form, which may be obtained at the network hospital's insurance department.

• Before initiating the claim procedure, the network hospital must get approval. Please provide us with the relevant paperwork.

• When the insurance claim application is approved, we will pay the hospital and any associated medical costs directly to the hospital.

• Reimbursement Insurance Claim

You may make a reimbursement claim for compensation if you seek medical treatment in a non-network hospital.

• Inform Tata AIG of any osteoarthritis-related hospitalisations.
• After discharge, complete the insurance claim application form and submit the appropriate evidence and hospital bills.
• We will examine your claim application form and may request more documentation (if and when needed).
• When your insurance claim application is approved, Tata AIG will refund you in your registered bank account.

When filing a health insurance claim for your osteoarthritis treatment, ensure you have these documents in place:

• Health insurance policy papers
• KYC documents
• Discharge summary
• Claim application form
• Pre-authorisation application form (in the event of cashless claims)
• Original bills and invoices (in the event of reimbursement claims)
• Other papers that Tata AIG might request claim experts

• "Thanks a lot, Team Tata AIG for all of your assistance. I've been looking for the best health insurance plan for myself as well as my family for many years. One of my friends suggested that I go for Tata AIG. I visited Tata AIG's official website and was swamped with options. They have a wide range of policies to choose from. I finally purchased a family health insurance plan that perfectly met my needs. Finally, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

~ Mugdha Srinivasan

• "I had been rejecting quite a few health insurance companies since they were not able to make me understand the policy details. But, speaking to the customer support staff of Tata AIG was quite promising. I was aware of the health insurance policy details as well as add-on covers. They explained everything to me in a clear-cut way. Keep up the good work alive, Tata AIG!"

~ Shrivas Shankar

• "Tata AIG kept me informed and updated throughout the claim settlement process. The support team was helpful, kind, and polite. Thanks a lot for the assistance. Great work!"

~ Nihal Firdaus Rehman