In India, about half-a-million people die every year due to unavailability of organs. Over thousands suffer from heart or liver diseases, while organ transplantation gives them a renewed chance of living full and active lives. Over the years, the number of organ donations has increased meaningfully, but there is still a large gap which needs to be filled between donors and the individuals who are in dire needs.
In this process, for the donor, it is a chance to help others, while giving hope for a new independent life to the recipients. And for medical professionals, it gives the power to cure an otherwise intractable acute or chronic disease. Although, organ donation has always been on a lower side in India. A cadaver can save up to nine lives, but despite lakhs of people still die every year due to unavailability of organs. Organ donation and transplantation (ODT) is a modern day success story and no less than a marvel in medical science. It’s a procedure in which a functional organ is transferred from one individual to another to replace a damaged or missing organ. Initiated in the twentieth century, organ donation has been a balance of technical, practical, and ethical knowledge.
The Process
The organ might be free, but the transplant isn’t – commercialism of every variety is part of our daily lives, but it is destructive when it comes to transplants. Organ donation is a costly and burdensome undertaking for the recipients and their families. The ever-increasing medical inflation and soaring treatment costs are the root cause of this problem. This is where insurance companies are stepping and playing a key role.
Insurance and Organ Donation
Most insurance companies cover transplant surgeries under their regular policy. They reimburse medical expenses up to a certain amount. By supporting recipients financially, insurance companies allow those people to opt for organ transplantation who wouldn’t even consider it earlier. However, many people are unaware of the fact that organ donation is covered under most health insurance covers, offering financial relief to those who have to undergo one. By acknowledging and including organ donation policies, insurance companies are moving forward in the right direction.
At Cigna TTK, we draw inspiration from our philosophy of offering solutions to improve health and well-being; we believe in providing more than health insurance. Our personal indemnity health insurance plan is designed to help the donor and recipient with treatment costs including pre and post hospitalization expenses. The plan offers two product variants – ProHealth Insurance and ProHealth Select. Major Organs (heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas) and Bone Marrow Transplant is covered in the Lifestyle Protection – Critical Care policy, benefit category. If an insured person is diagnosed, the sum insured as opted under the policy is paid for.
The insurance providers are no more aloof to the reality that the demand of donor and transplantation insurance is raising fast. Hence, we can observe a large number of highly comprehensive insurance policies entering the market in the near future. Organ transplant is a composite and highly expensive procedure so one must be cautious while purchasing a health insurance policy. One must take all the different types of expenses in account and look for a comprehensive coverage to facilitate the same.
The gap in accessibility of organs and coverage is too broad to be met with just campaigns. In order to make substantial progress in health insurance for an organ transplant, a more aggressive evaluation of issues on centering of donor welfare needs to be undertaken.