Amid the leak of health insurance claim form belonging to Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who was a victim of a violent knife attack at his residence in Bandra West, a doctor has laid bare the discrepancies against middle class policy holders.
A cardiac surgeon from Mumbai, disclosed that for similar treatment in small hospitals and the common man the sanctioned amount will not cross Rs 5 lakh margin.
In a post on X (formally Twitter), he wrote, “For small hospitals and common man, Niva Bupa will not sanction more than Rs 5 lakh for such treatment. All 5-star hospitals are charging exorbitant fees and mediclaim companies are paying also. result – premiums are rising and middle class is suffering.”
The post assumes significance amid the alleged mediclaim document leak of Saif Ali Khan that shows a claim of Rs 35.95 lakh filed for his medical treatment, of which Rs 25 lakh has already been sanctioned by the insurance provider.
Business Today was unable to verify the contents of the leaked documents independently.
Saif Ali Khan holds a policy with Niva Bupa.
Niva Bupa Health Insurance company have confirmed the claims and said: “A cashless pre-authorisation request was sent to us upon his hospitalization and we have given approval of an initial amount to start the treatment.”
In December 2024, the 55th GST Council meeting deferred its decision on reducing the premium on health and life insurance to the next meeting, as more clarifications are needed. The Council has tasked the Group of Ministers (GoM) with providing additional information to make their report more comprehensive.
The Council suggested that the matter requires further analysis and detailed examination before any decisions are made on revising the GST rates or reducing premiums related to health and life insurance.