Generally, people look for cashless facilities and network hospitals before buying a health insurance policy. This is because a cashless claim helps the person to relax as the amount will get paid by the insurance provider. This reduces the burden of arrangement of cash in a hurry and also saves a lot of paperwork compared to reimbursement claims.
What is the role of Network hospitalization in your health insurance plan? How do network hospitalization and non-network hospitalization differ? This article will enlighten you about these necessary facts.
What are network hospitals?
Network hospitals are the bunch of listed hospitals that have tie-ups with their respective health insurance companies. If a policyholder undergoes treatment by getting admitted to one of these hospitals, then the insured is eligible for a cashless claim. In such a situation the claim amount will directly get settled by the insurance company. Apart from the nominal expense incurred at the time of hospitalization, the rest of the expenses will be covered by the company.
So, It is necessary to understand the list of hospitals that are on the panel with your health insurer. Nowadays you can even go to the website of the respective company and check about the cashless network hospitals provided by them.
What are non-network hospitals?
Non-network hospitals are the hospitals that are not on the panel list of your health insurance company. The facility of cashless claims is not present in a non-network hospitalization. Instead, the policyholder will have to make all the payments to the hospital and then claim reimbursement from the insurance company.
In reimbursement, the claim amount will be initially borne by the policyholder. After that, some necessary documents should be submitted to the insurance company by the policyholder. Post verification of those documents, the amount shall be given by the insurance company to the policyholder as a reimbursement claim.
Differentiating network and non-network hospitals:
Differentiation between network and non-network hospitalization can be understood through the following chart:
| Parameters | Network hospitalization | Non-network hospitalization |
| Documentation formalities | You need to carry the health card along with your I’d proof and will have to just fill out a form and submit it to the hospital as documentation formalities. | IPD papers xerox with hospital stamp, Original hospital bill and receipt, Original Lab report and bill, Hospital registration certificate, Medical cash paid bill and prescription, and the Discharge Bill. You need to fill out these documents and send them to your insurance company along with other necessary details for the claim. |
| Claim related flexibility | It has a cashless claim facility, so you do not need to worry about the arrangement of cash which reduces your financial burden. | It has a reimbursement claim facility, which is very hectic for people, especially for those who are not financially stable. Many of them tend to borrow money from their friends, relatives, etc to pay the bills. |
| Waiting time | No waiting time because the amount will be paid by the insurance provider directly. | Post verification you will have to wait for approximately 30-40 days. This may differ from company to company. |
Conclusion:
It is advised to opt for network hospitalization to protect yourself from unnecessary financial tensions. In case, network hospitals are out of your reach in an urgent situation, only then you should go with non-network hospitals.
