Is the policy applicable if hospitalization is for less than 24 hours

Yes. Though generally, claims can be filed only for medical treatments requiring hospitalisation for more than 24 hours, insurers allow filing claims for day-care procedures that do not require hospitalisation of more than one day.

For claims to be accepted by the health insurer, it has to meet the plan's terms and conditions. One standard criterion is that the insured must be hospitalised for at least 24 hours to file any claims. However, several medical procedures and treatments do not meet this 24-hour rule.

To help policyholders avail the cost for minor treatments that do not require extensive hospitalisation, insurers introduced coverage for day-care procedures as part of the plan. Day-care treatments are those medical treatments administered under local/general anaesthesia and are usually completed within 24 hours. Some standard day-care procedures include cataract surgeries, tonsillitis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, angiography, skin transplantation, etc.

The procedure for filing claims for day-care treatments is the same as filing regular claims. Refer to your policy prospectus for the complete list of day-care treatments included in your plan.