Usually, a lifelong disorder, Autism is characterized by social-interaction difficulties, communication challenges and a tendency to engage in repetitive behaviors. It has been found that a combination of family history and environmental factors result in autism. External factors include advanced age of the parent at the time of conception, baby’s brain being deprived of oxygen at the time of birth, difficulties at the time of birth, mother’s illness during pregnancy.
The symptoms include the following
• Difficulty in communication, repeating same set of words / phrases, avoiding eye contact.
• Delayed speech development.
• Sleep problem.
• Learning disability.
• Depression.
In India, getting insurance for children who suffer from mental disorders and even autism has been quite a challenge for parents. But now, things are changing with the market opening up to the needs of autistic children and their parents. Certain existing insurance policies offer several benefits which include a sum assured of Rs 1 lakh to each child. They also offer coverage for in-patient management of medical and surgical complications associated with autism. These include soft tissue and bone injuries, seizures, medical and surgical procedures for muscle spasms. In fact, infectious diseases are also covered in their ambit.
Unlike many conventional health policies which don’t cover autism, there are some positives that these new policies for autism offer which give a breather to the parents of autistic children. For instance, the initial waiting period of 30 to 90 days does not exist, which means that the parents can immediately avail insurance facilities without much hassle. Also, in regular health plans certain medical conditions are not covered and many insurers may not even provide a cover for pre-existing diseases. This cover may not even see the light of the day for as long as four years or less. But in the insurance available for those suffering from autism, none of these conditions apply. This means that there is no waiting period, pre-existing diseases are covered from the day you apply for the policy and also all medical conditions are covered. This is a win-win situation.
Though currently, rehabilitation and physiotherapy procedures are not covered, a host of other day care and hospitalization procedures are also covered under this policy. Since children suffering from ASD are accident prone, this policy is definitely handy.
It is best to buy this policy online via a web aggregator instead of an insurance agent. By doing so, you not only save additional costs, but also the unnecessary hassle of documentation and paperwork. It is also an efficient method and saves you a lot of time, because this way you can buy a policy from the convenience of your home or office.
Source by Amar Tyagi
