Home / Health Insurance / Articles / Health Insurance Coverage / Health insurance for hypertension patients in India

Health insurance for hypertension patients in India

Team AckoNov 17, 2023

Health insurance is a broad term for covering your financial costs against medical treatments. But some medical issues like hypertension might seem insignificant to be covered under your health plan. Hypertension, or commonly known as high blood pressure, can be risky. If you suffer from this condition, you must be aware that it requires frequent treatment. Since it requires regular treatment, it is important to consider including hypertension in your health insurance coverage.

In this article, you will learn more about how hypertension affects your day-to-day life. Also, how you can reduce the financial loss by getting health insurance for hypertension.

Health Insurance for Hypertension Patients in India

Contents

What is hypertension?
What are the types of hypertension?
Does health insurance cover hypertension?
Health insurance policy coverage for hypertension
Why should you have hypertension health insurance?
How much does hypertension affect a person’s daily life?
Things to know if you have hypertension
In a nutshell
Frequently asked questions

What is hypertension?

Hypertension is a medical condition where the blood pressure remains persistently high in a patient. It can lead to heart failure, stroke, or artery diseases if left untreated.

Typically, a human's blood pressure is 120/800 mmHg. In the case of hypertension, the blood pressure ranges from 130-139 mmHg (systolic) or 80-89 mmHg (diastolic).

What are the types of hypertension?

Following are the four types of hypertension that may take a toll on your physical as well as mental health:

1. Primary hypertension (essential hypertension)

It is prevalent among 90% of hypertension patients. The reason for this is unknown. An accurate diagnosis could come after a couple of visits for blood analysis.

There are no significant symptoms in the patients. Some may experience frequent dizziness, headaches, tiredness, or nose bleeds.

2. Secondary hypertension

Problems in the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys are the leading cause of this hypertension. Other reasons include — tumours and diseases of the adrenal glands. Some may have thyroid disease, hormone abnormalities, or sleep obstruction as well.

Too much salt or alcohol in the diet may also cause hypertension. Certain drugs can cause secondary hypertension, including over-the-counter medications like Pseudoephedrine and Ibuprofen.

3. Malignant hypertension

Patients with Malignant Hypertension experience high blood pressure regularly. It may need urgent medical intervention. The symptoms include chest pain, numbness in arms and legs, blurred vision, confusion, and headache.

4. Resistant hypertension

If your blood pressure is high in spite of taking medication, then it could be resistant hypertension. It is prevalent in 20%-30% of high blood pressure cases. It is usually due to genetic components.

People who suffer from obesity, or senior citizens might have this issue. Also, people with underlying health conditions (kidney disease or diabetes) usually have hypertension.

Does health insurance cover hypertension?

Regular health insurance may cover hospitalisation from hypertension subject to terms and conditions. Your health insurance policy might not cover certain things (like OPD consultations and medications, etc.). Please get in touch with your health insurance company to understand the exact coverage that your health plan provides.

You must also consider the waiting period and pre-existing disease clauses while buying the policy. Thus, if you are prone to hypertension, it is advisable to buy health insurance to cover the treatment cost.

Health insurance policy coverage for hypertension

Health insurance for hypertension in India provides comprehensive coverage for treatment. Coverages can include the following as per the terms and conditions of your plan.

Cashless hospitalisation: If treatment is in a network hospital, the patient is eligible for cashless hospitalisation. This comes as a great relief as it relieves the burden of arranging money for hospital bills. It also removes the hassle of claiming reimbursement.
OPD expenses: Hypertension insurance can cover OPD expenses that remain unclaimed in most cases and borne by the patient. Some insurance companies also offer this coverage under optional add-ons to the policy.
AYUSH treatment: Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy treatment for hypertension is covered.
Extensive coverage: Hypertension insurance comprehensively covers all the expenses associated with the treatment. It includes pre and post-hospitalisation expenses or domiciliary expenses as well.
Consumable allowance: Like hospital cash, it provides you cash to meet necessary expenses during hospitalisation for a limited number of days — for example, commutation, consumables, etc.
Ambulance cover: Your policy will cover the ambulance cost for at least one trip (depending on the terms of the plan). This could be to or from the hospital. You can claim this cost under the health plan.
Annual health checkups: An annual health checkup can help diagnose hypertension at the earliest. Your health insurance company may give this benefit along with the policy.
Domiciliary hospitalisation: Your doctor may tell you to avail of treatment at home. The set-up will be like a hospital bed, but you will be in a more comfortable space with your loved ones. The costs can get covered under your health insurance plan.

Why should you have hypertension health insurance?

Medical expenses of hypertension can put a burden on your financial well being. In this case, a claim rejection can add to the problems if hypertension is not covered under your health insurance policy. So consider buying a health plan with coverage for hypertension. This will help in reducing the financial burden of expensive treatment.

How much does hypertension affect a person’s daily life?

Hypertension can cause serious damage to your body well before it's detected. Thus, it becomes essential to treat hypertension as it can prove fatal. Following are the adverse effects of hypertension.

Damaged Arteries: Hypertension causes damage to the inner lining of your arteries. This happens due to high blood pressure. It may reduce the elasticity of your arteries and limit the blood flow throughout the body. Over time, constant blood flow from weakened arteries may cause a bulge. It can lead to rupture and internal bleeding.
Coronary artery disease: High blood pressure can cause narrowing of the coronary artery. This may disrupt normal blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.
Enlarged left ventricle of the heart: Your heart works harder to pump blood leading to enlargement of the left ventricle of your heart. This increases the risk of heart failure, heart attack, cardiac arrest, etc.
Heart failure: High blood pressure weakens the heart muscle, which may lead to heart failure.
Brain damage: High blood pressure can lead to diseases. For example, stroke, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA).
Kidney damage: High blood pressure can cause damage to the vessel leading to the kidneys. This can lead to Glomerulosclerosis (kidney scarring) and kidney failure.
Eyes damage: Blood vessels in the eyes are delicate and sensitive. High blood pressure can cause damage to the retina. It can build up fluid in the retina, leading to eye nerve damage. This may cause vision loss.

Things to know if you have hypertension

Reasons for hypertension vary. But you can live a healthy life even if you have hypertension if you adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Here are a few things you must be aware of.

Keeping your weight in check is where you can start. Avoid obesity at all costs.
Eating nutritious food and plenty of vegetables can do wonders.
Increase potassium intake and decrease calories, sugar, and fat in your diet.
Reduce salty food as increased sodium leads to higher blood pressure.
Make physical exercise a part of your daily life and track your blood pressure daily.

In a nutshell

Hypertension is becoming more prevalent considering today's time due to a fast-paced, sedentary lifestyle. As a precaution, maintaining healthy lifestyle habits can help. Buying a health insurance policy for hypertension will give financial protection. Now you can also buy health insurance online with a few simple steps.

Frequently asked questions

Here are a few questions related to hypertension. Consider getting in touch with ACKO through email at [email protected] if you have any questions related to the topic.

Does hypertension health insurance policy provide tax benefits?

Yes, the premium you pay for buying health insurance is eligible for a tax rebate under section 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Whether waiting period applies to hypertension health insurance policies?

Depends upon the insurer. But, in most cases, a waiting period of 2-4 years becomes applicable.

What is systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP)?

Systolic BP measures the pressure when the heart beats. Diastolic BP measures the pressure in arteries when the heart is at rest between beats.

Explore More:

Disclaimer: The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. It is based on industry experience and several secondary sources on the internet; and is subject to changes. Please go through the applicable policy wordings for updated ACKO-centric content and before making any insurance-related decisions.