Following the inclusion of bariatric or weight loss surgery under health insurance cover by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Obesity Surgery Society of India (OSSI) has demanded clarity on the details of the policy cover.
Praveen Raj, secretary of OSSI, has sought clarification on details such as total surgery cost that the insurance would cover, whether it would require co-payment of a certain percentage of the cost from the patient and whether it would bring about an increase in insurance premium.
“The gastroenterology surgeons do not want the insurers to add a lot of riders/ extra clauses to save themselves from covering it,” he said. Dr. Raj, who is also the head of the Department of Bariatric Surgery at Gem Hospital, said in his statement that insurance premiums change as per the sum insured and the age of the patients.
