India has emerged as a premier country for receiving medical tourism due to the availability of quality health care at a reasonable price.

Nevertheless, an individual may get overwhelmed by medical bills even when acquiring a simple procedure or undergoing a surgery.

Luckily, there are several ways through which international patients can be able to afford these costs.

This blog by Karetrip provides options that support through negotiations for the cost.

Government Schemes and Concessions

Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY):

This is one of the major health insurance plans that has been initiated by the Indian government mainly for the vulnerable low income families of India but there are some of its aspects which are in the favour for the overseas-India patients particularly from the neighbouring countries.

In this program, such patients are issued with medical insurance for several surgeries and treatments from first-tier hospitals. This can severely help to cut down on the out of pocket costs for the qualification seekers.

Government of India Scholarships and Fellowships:

Students or research scholars who are from other countries and studying or conducting research in India may have their scholarships or fellowships cover medical fees.

These financial aids usually cater for tuition fees, personal expenses and occasionally, medical expenses because there are students who need treatment as they are studying in India.

Hospital-Based Financial Assistance Programs

Compassionate Care Programs:

Most of the Indian hospitals, particularly those which are targeting the overseas customers, have established separate, compassionate care services.

All these are meant to assist patients who sometimes cannot cater for their treatise costs. The programs could have disturbing displays or images or offer services that are free or cheap, especially in a medical aspect.

Discounted Treatment Packages:

Some of the hospitals include Apollo Hospitals, Fortis Healthcare, and Narayana Health, where hospitals have packages that are cheaper than those for Indian prices and these are for international patients.

They may encompass operations, hospitalisation, post-operations treatment, as well as, in some cases, meals and transport. These all inclusive packages are convenient to the patient because they help them plan their financial needs from the time they are admitted to the hospital up to the time of their discharge.

Deferred Payment Plans:

Therefore, through deferred payment options, some of the hospitals offer their patients options for payment in instalments. This option also enables expensive procedures to be spread over time, and as such many people find it easier to afford.

It’s useful especially for those patients who either do not have enough money to pay for the treatment at one time, but can pay for it in instalments.

Charity Funds:

Some hospitals have charity funds and or charity endowments for patients from other countries and who may not be able to afford the treatment.

These are mostly used when one needs immediate medical attention and are relatively smaller than health insurance funds but they enable a large number of patients to access life-saving treatments at an affordable cost.

Medical Tourism: Insurance to Persons in Foreign Country

International Health Insurance:

Most international health insurance providers like Cigna Global, Allianz Care, and Aetna International have provisions of healthcare treatment in other countries including India.

These plans are designed for expatriates and travellers with hospitalisation and surgery provisions and often medical repatriation as well. The patients are advised to check with their insurance companies regarding specifics of its applicability before setting out to India for treatment.

Medical Travel Insurance:

Short term travellers include those on a business, vacation, studying or visiting relatives and friends and can be protected by medical travel insurance in the following way:

They should verify on what aspects the policy addresses, the established maximum amount of reimbursement; and if prior conditions are taken into consideration to make sure there will be no extra costs.

Hospital Insurance Partnerships:

Most of the Indian hospitals have tie up with the global insurance companies, enabling the insurance reimbursement and cashless facilities.

These are some of the agreements in place as Medanta, Max Healthcare, and BLK Super Specialty Hospital to mitigate the need for patients to worry financially while they recover.

Non Profit Charitable Organisations and Foundations

The Red Cross:

The local and international divisions of the Red Cross are known to provide some monetary help in meeting medical bills especially in cases of disasters. They may also assist in medical repatriation and offer some degree of assistance to the patient’s kin during the treatment.

Crowdfunding Platforms:

Due to the advancement in technology, crowdfunding has cropped up as one of the most popular sources of funds for medical bills.

GoFundMe, Ketto and Milaap, and other crowdfunding websites help the patients to create pages and receive funds from supporters from all over the world. It can be very useful in the cases of those patients who need either urgent or costly therapy.

Religious and Cultural Organisations:

Almost all religious and cultural based organisations provide for cash strapped members to help them with their medical bills no matter the country they are from.

It is with these organisations that patients who are members of such groups may be offered grants or interest-free loans to pay for treatment.

Medical Loans and Financing

Personal Medical Loans:

Indian banks and NBFCs have different personal loan products and including the credit service for medical exigencies.

These can be tailored to the expenses that may accompany surgery and hospitalisation and the period following the surgery.

The interest rates as well as possible repayment regimes depend on the creditor so patients have to choose the best offer.

Medical Credit Cards:

There are some credit card banking organisations that engage in the provision of special medical credit cards.

Such cards usually come with some additional facilities which include time of no interest charges or low charge interest on the amount borrowed which makes it easier to deal with costs incurred in relation to medical bills.

EMI (Equated Monthly Instalments) Options:

Most hospitals have credit facilities with financial institutions so as to enable the patients to pay for the treatment through instalments.

This option can help in breaking the costs of highly priced procedures so that it is easier for one to incur the cost.

It depends upon the hospital and the financier about these EMIs, some of it will be without any interest charge or with very nominal interest.

Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships

Employer-Sponsored Health Plans:

Major global le KL and international companies provide health care packages that allow treatment to be received outside the country.

These benefits are for the employee or dependents and would come handy as they would also be put to use in meeting a substantial part of the treatment costs in India.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programs:

One of the activities that CSR policies of many organisations contain is the compensation for medical expenses for the worker or a member of the community. These can be programs where surgery, medicine or rehabilitation is financed, which is essential for those who require such assistance.

Embassy and Consulate Assistance

Medical Referrals:

Embassies can give lists of contact of hospitals and doctors who are recognized in India hence guaranteeing the patient quality health care services from registered medical practitioners.

Emergency Loans:

On occasions, the embassies provide travellers with emergency cash to enable them to pay for medical care. Even though such loans normally have to be reimbursed, they can be a life-sustaining resource in exigent circumstances when other manner of financial backing cannot be secured.

Legal and Logistical Support:

Embassies are responsible for legal and organisational matters, for example in emergencies of any kind, in organising and transferring money, extension of visa, or in case of medical evacuation may be required.

Negotiating Treatment Costs

Discounts for Early Payment:

Paying the total bill directly without going through the insurance firm can attract special offers from some of these hospitals.

The advantage of this option is that the patient gets an opportunity to arrange for the money before the treatment and may lead to saving on the total cost.

Bundled Packages:

In other cases, hospitals provide a number of procedures and services as one package which costs less than if those services were obtained individually.

The patient can haggle the various packages and therefore reduce overall cost in the bid to enhance inclusive care.

Explaining and managing the cost of the medical treatment in a new country may not be easy, however there are many options available for patients coming to India.

There are many things that might lessen the cost – from the governmental programs and hospitals’ initiatives to insurances and charities.

Recognising and expanding upon these approaches can make a huge impact and mean patients do not have to endure further and often expensive treatments.

The information provided represents the views and opinions of Karetrip. It is crucial to conduct your own independent research before making any decisions regarding your healthcare journey. - Disclaimer