80% of People with Disabilities Denied Health Insurance: The Need to be Aware of the Rights

By Dr. Joseph Sunny Kunnacherry – Founder, Prayatna

The survey report released by The National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) points out some upsetting statics regarding the welfare of people with disabilities in the country. The survey indictes that more than 80 percent of people with disabilities in India are getting denied of their entitled health insurance coverage.

Denial of Rights
The study exposes the discrimination and neglect faced by the differently abled community, inferring that more than half of health insurance applications are getting rejected right at the initial stage of application, that too, without clear reasons. In those, people with challenges such as autism, psychosocial disabilities, and learning disabilities are the mostly affected. Barriers such as high premiums, inaccessible digital systems and ignorance about the schemes are also a hinderence in the matter. All these are leading to approximately 16 crore people across the country to be denied such rights, the survey indicates.

Although the Constitution and laws like the RPWD Act 2016 promise equality and a discrimination-free society for people with disabilities, the fact that how much of it is made into fruition remains questionable.

Rights that protect
Many laws and schemes are there in the country aimed at the rights and protection of people with disabilities. But a lack of awareness about them poses the problem. Some of such relevant acts are the RPWD Act, National Trust Act, RCI Act, Mental Health Care Act, etc. These laws are to be complied by the Health Insurance companies also.

Some of them are mentioned below:
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016: The most comprehensive law that ensures safety and equality for people with disabilities. Prohibits discrimination against the disabled community and ensures accessibility to public places and services.

Mental Health Care Act, 2017: Ensures the rights, care and treatment of individuals with mental health issues.

National Trust Act, 1999: Act to protect people with intellectual challenges and multiple disabilities.

In addition, right for social security pensions, free medical check-ups and treatment assistance in government hospitals are also there for persons with disabilities. It is essential to raise awareness among the differently-abled community about major health schemes like ‘Ayushman Bharat’.

Along with this, the state has several projects that emphasize timely diagnosis and early intervention in matters relating to children like ‘Disha Centers’ and ‘Anganwadis’ providing early support for children with disabilities.

The Kerala Social Security Mission and the National Health Mission ensure financial and medical assistance to the differently-abled, as well as free medical check-ups at government hospitals.

Kerala has also laws that protect the right of adults with disabilities to live safely and with dignity. Home care through the ‘Vayomitra’ and ‘Ashwasakiranam’ schemes, and medical assistance through the ‘Karunya Arogya Suraksha’ scheme also support the differently-abled adults.

Need of Change in Attitude
Even with the existing of these legal frameworks, the denial of health insurance to the disabled community is indicative of weak implementation of the laws. The need of the hour is the change in society’s attitude. The realization and acceptence of the fact that people with disabilities are citizens with the same rights as any other person in the country is long due in our society. In order to access the full benefit of the schemes, they need to be well informed and assisted in obtaining disability certificate and UDID card. Development of a proper system to link the UDID dat

abase with insurance processes, so to track the rejections of applications is something that need to be addressed.

Ensuring rights and opportunities for people with disabilities is not charity, but a constitutional duty. Because the progress in the society is measered by the equal access to justice and opportunities for each and everyone.