Health insurance claims by women 31% lower than men: Survey – Mint
The average amount of health insurance claims made by women is 31% less than men even though the average length of hospital stay is almost similar for the two, as per a survey by SecureNow Insurance Brokers.
Per-day hospitalization costs for women are also much lower than those for men, said the survey titled ‘Health Insurance Claims: Impact of Gender’ by SecureNow, an insurtech platform focused on selling commercial insurances to SMEs and mid-market clients.
Maternity (13.6%), diseases of the genitourinary system (12.7%), and diseases of the eye (11.6%) are the three top medical concerns for which women made health insurance claims, said the survey.
The other top concerns for women (by count), are diseases of the digestive system (5.8%) and respiratory system (4.7%) among others.
In value terms, total amount of claims were for maternity (11.8%), diseases of the genitourinary system (11.2%), and neoplasms (10.8%). Neoplasms are not large by count but by value, meaning the value per claim for neoplasms is relatively high. (Neoplasms are tumors that may or may not be cancerous).
The survey was conducted during 2021-22 in which 839 individuals participated. 40% of the respondents hailed from three tie-1 cities — New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
The average length of hospital stay is almost similar for men and women, which is around five days.
“The lower claim cost for women needs a deeper understanding. It’s not those women fall ill less but their per-day costs are low. Our primary research suggests that sometimes women tend to be treated in less expensive hospitals or undergo more basic treatments. The good aspect is that women are claiming health insurance extensively but they should also get the benefit of the best treatments possible.” said Kapil Mehta, co-founder, SecureNow Insurance Broker Pvt. Ltd.
In the case of men, the top three reasons for claims by count are diseases of the circulatory system (13%), diseases of the genitourinary system (10%), and diseases of the eye (9%). This means that in terms of the total number of claims against each disease for men, these three medical concerns take the top slots.
The top three reasons men make health insurance claims, by value (i.e. total amount of claims in rupees), are diseases of the circulatory system (24%), diseases of the digestive system (9%), and diseases of the respiratory system (8%).
Diseases of the digestive system and diseases of the respiratory system are not large by count but by value which means the value per claim for them is relatively high.
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