What is meant by Pre and Post hospitalization

Health insurance plans do not just cover the costs incurred by the policyholder during hospitalisation. It also covers the expenses both before and after hospitalisation. These expenses are classified as pre and post hospitalisation.

Pre-hospitalisation expenses refer to the policyholder's medical costs before he/she gets hospitalised for treatment. This generally includes initial physician consultation fees, cost of diagnostic tests, etc.

Post-hospitalisation expenses refer to the medical costs incurred by the policyholder after discharge from the hospital. This includes the cost of medicines, follow-up check-ups, and doctor fees after discharge, etc.

Most health plans offer coverage for pre-hospitalisation up to 45 to 90 days before hospitalisation. Post-hospitalisation expenses are covered up to 45 to 90 days after discharge.

Let's assume that a patient is admitted to a hospital for dengue on 1st October 2020. He must have started experiencing the symptoms one week before hospitalisation. This would have included doctor visits, blood tests confirming dengue, etc. These costs are the pre-hospitalisation expenses and are borne by the insurer. Similarly, after discharge, the doctor prescribes medicines for ten days and a follow-up blood test. These are the post-hospitalisation expenses and are borne by the insurer.

Make sure to check the pre and post-hospitalisation expenses included in the plan before purchasing a health policy.