Court wants cashless medical facility restored
By IANSTuesday, August 10, 2010
NEW DELHI - Coming to rescue of medical insurance policy holders, the Delhi High Court Tuesday ordered the insurance regulator to ensure that cashless facility is not denied to customers due to a dispute between insurance companies and city hospitals.
“The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) should intervene and ensure that such changes do not affect existing policy holders,” said Justice S. Muralidhar.
The court said this while disposing a petition filed by Vishal Ahuja whose mother is suffering from cancer.
Counsel for central government informed the court that cashless treatment facilities would be provided to Ahuja’s mother.
Earlier, the court pulled up the IRDA and said “you cannot leave patients suffering saying that a meeting will be convened. Patients are not getting treatment because of the dispute between insurance companies and hospitals”.
Thousands of policy holders are facing hardships after the insurance companies revised terms related to cashless medical treatment facility for the insured at city hospitals. The changes were introduced in the backdrop of alleged lapses by hospitals to inflate medical bills of such patients.
