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Monsoon heralds the arrival of the dreaded dengue and urban areas are the most at risk. Data from health insurer Max Bupa shows there was a 111% increase in dengue claims in the last year and reimbursement of dengue claims went up by 200% in June 2015 compared to 2014.

"The highest prevalence has been observed in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and UP. In the south, it is seen in cities of Kerala and Karnataka. In the west, we have got maximum claims from Mumbai followed by Pune," says Antony Jacob, CEO, Apollo Munich Health Insurance.

A serious bout of dengue entails a hospital stay of three to five days. Though insurers say the claim size is between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000, treatment at a private hospital can cost Rs 65,000 to Rs 70,000. "We have settled claims up to Rs 1 lakh," says Somesh Chandra, COO, Max Bupa Health Insurance. Recognising the trend, Apollo Munich recently introduced Dengue Care. The plan provides a Rs 50,000 cover for treatment at a premium of Rs 1.2 a day. The plan is upgradable to Rs 1 lakh for Rs 659  ..

"It is an uncomplicated product, where the customer has to pay a single premium without complex underwriting. It does not require any tests. All one has to do is fill up a form and self declaration that he is dengue free. The cover kicks-in after a cooling-off period of 15 days post policy purchase," says Jacob.

Do you really need this?

A standard indemnity health insurance policy covers only medical expenses incurred during inpatient treatment. Dengue Care reimburses outpatient billing up to Rs 10,000, besides covering for inpatient treatment.

This is important as most dengue patients gets cured via outpatient treatment. "The overall admission rate will be between 12-15%," says Dr Yatheesh of Apollo Hospital, Bangalore. Treatment cost at the initial stages is nominal. "Outpatient treatment costs between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000, including tests," says Yatheesh. Do you need an additional Rs 50,000 cover to cover the risk of paying the doctor’s fee and medicines? Not really.

Any standard health plan provides full coverage for dengue along with pre and post hospitalisation expenses for 30 and 60 days, respectively, which takes care of consultation and tests.

If you have a decent indemnity plan, you are safe. In case you think your existing cover is insufficient, the Rs 1 lakh dengue cover costs Rs 659 yearly. If you enhanced your regular health plan by a lakh, you would pay anything between Rs 500 and Rs 1,300, depending on plan type. This extra Rs 1 lakh will not just take care of dengue but any other medical emergency.