What are Non-Medical Expenses and why should you know about them?

Non-medical expenses in treatment are costs that are not directly part of the medical treatment. These are usually considered non-payable items in health insurance, which add to the amount that you may need to pay out of your own pocket. If you don’t understand what these are and track them, you could find yourself with a huge bill, consisting of a lot of non-covered medical expenses.

Examples of Non-Medical Expenses

Now that we have made ourselves well-aware of the definition of Non-medical expenses in health insurance, we can proceed to take a look at some of the items that are included in the same. You can refer to the list of Non-medical expenses as per IRDAI below to cross-check and ensure you are being charged fairly.

 

Generally, non-medical expenses in health insurance will often be charged alongside medical expenses and treatment at large. The two foremost categories that non-medical charges are counted under are room rent charges and procedure charges.

1. Instances of things included in room rent charges

Let’s take a look at the non-medical items in insurance as far as room rent charges are concerned.

 

As you might guess, your hospital stay does not include only treatment, but your stay as well. As a result, there are a number of other hospitality facilities that you avail of which the hospital charges you for. However, since these charges are not avoidable if you want treatment, your health insurance policy might cover the same.

 

Here are a few instances of non-medical items in insurance where room rent charges are concerned.

 

  • Slippers

  • Tissue Paper

  • Pulse oximeter Costs

  • Toothpaste, toothbrushes and other toiletries

  • Soap

  • Gown

  • Foot cover

  • Comb

  • Hand wash

  • Buds

2. Examples of things included in procedure charges

Procedure charges refer to the cost incurred for materials and resources that are used in a medical procedure but are not inherently medical equipment, medicines or treatment themselves. Some examples include:

 

  • Aprons

  • Surgical blades

  • Shavers

  • Camera cover

  • Gauze

  • X-ray film

  • Cotton

  • Surgical drill

  • Saline

  • Hair removal cream

  • Eye pads

  • Endoscopy instruments

3. Common Treatment Costs

Somewhat similar to procedure costs, non-medical treatment costs are also for equipment, material and resources required to carry out certain treatments. These items are also counted under the cost of treatment.

 

  • Vaccination costs

  • Antiseptic mouthwash

  • HIV kit

  • Nutrition planning

  • Infusion pump

  • Urine container

  • Admission and registration charges

  • Mouth paint

  • Disinfectants

Summing It Up

We purchase health insurance in order to make sure that we do not have to pay large sums of money out of pocket in the event of a medical emergency. However, as per its nature, your insurance policy is meant to only cover your medical treatment and may not cover the various other non-medical expenses that you may incur during treatment. These may need to be paid for out of your own pocket. If you are looking to purchase a health insurance policy, the Finserv MARKETS website has a number of options. You can visit the Finserv MARKETS website in order to choose a health insurance policy that fits all your needs. 

Best Health Insurance Plans Available at Finserv MARKETS

Health Insurance Top Pages

Other Health Days

Government Health Insurance Schemes

FAQs on Non Medical Expenses for Health insurance

  • ✔️Why do we have to pay non-medical costs?

    Non-medical costs are a part of your overall treatment costs, but may not be linked specifically to your medical procedures. Thus, many insurers do not cover these expenses in their plans. 

  • ✔️Who decides how much non-medical equipment is to be used?

    While medicines are valuable, other non-medical items in insurance such as tissue, gauze and gloves are not inherently that expensive, though these costs can add up over the course of your hospital stay. If you want extra peace of mind, you can keep track of how much is being used and when. 

  • ✔️Are pre and post-hospitalisation costs considered to be non-medical expenses in health insurance?

    Generally, the pre and post hospitalisation processes are considered integral to the treatment process and are thus counted as medical costs, and not as non-medical expenses in insurance. 

  • ✔️What is a non-reimbursable expense?

    A non-medical expense is a type of non-reimbursable expense, meaning the insurance provider will not provide coverage for these expenses. 

  • ✔️How do I keep my non-reimbursable expenses down?

    Ensure that you read the bill given to you by the hospital thoroughly, and check that the prices quoted for non-medical expenses seem on average, and not unusually high. It is up to the hospital to charge you fairly, and it is up to you to ensure you are not charged unfairly. 

Our Partners

Contact

020-66399444 ( Mon to Sat - 10 am to 6 pm )

Address

4th Floor, B2 Building, Cerebrum IT Park, Kumar City, Kalyani Nagar, Pune – 411014.

Bajaj Finserv Direct Limited ("BFDL") is primarily engaged in distribution of financial products and services through its digital platform (“Bajaj Finserv MARKETS”) and inter alia renders services of customer acquisition, providing preliminary credit support activities, fulfilment services and post-acquisition customer services to Banks, NBFCs, HFCs. BFDL is also a registered Corporate Agent (Composite) under valid IRDAI registration number: CA0551 valid till 10-Apr-2024 for solicitation and servicing of Insurance Products. Registered Office: Bajaj Auto Limited Complex, Mumbai – Pune Road, Akurdi, Pune – 411 035 CIN: U65923PN2014PLC150522