Fall in insurance claims for heart diseases: Survey

There has been a 63.79% sharper decline in the number of insurance claims among women related to heart diseases compared to only 62.4% among men in the year 2021-22 so far, as compared to 2019-20, according to health claim data shared by ICICI Lombard General Insurance. Recently ICICI Lombard General Insurance also released a survey that revealed that 87% of females suffering from heart ailments themselves are more conscious in terms of regular checkups as compared to 74% of males. Intentions for regular check-ups are also higher for women at 90% as compared to 79% in men.

“Lack of awareness of the ailment coupled with the severity of the impact of the pandemic on our overall health, makes it even more critical to adopt a healthy lifestyle. A heart-healthy lifestyle is more likely to supplement one’s immune system. Along with having an active lifestyle, it is also imperative to look after our mental health as stress anxiety tighten their grip around our fast-paced lives. In a time like this, buying comprehensive health insurance for oneself and family members is an equally important step because medical care is expensive. It creates health and financial security in the minds of people, offering some mental peace,” said Sanjay Datta, chief – underwriting, reinsurance and claims, at ICICI Lombard.

All cities also showcase a downward trend of claims arising from heart ailments. However, Mumbai still has the highest number of claims, followed closely by NCR. Among the cities, Kolkata has shown the highest degree of decrease with a 74.92% from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

Respondents believed that high levels of cholesterol and hypertension (57%), stress (55%) and obesity (52%) are the top reasons that lead to cardiovascular diseases. However, on the downside, 18% of respondents were totally unaware of these top 3 causes of a heart ailment. Top metro and tier 1 cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad have lower awareness on key causes of heart ailments. Additionally, it was found that when suffering from a heart ailment themselves, men are more aware (50%) of the top 3 causes as compared to women (44%).

The Pan India survey was conducted with over 1490 respondents, across metros, tier I & tier-II cities, from different age groups, with different working statuses such as partial WFH and complete WFH and included both health insurance owners and non-owners. The survey further revealed that while 77% of people go for a regular overall check-up, only 70% go for a heart check-up, that too just once a year.

As increased stress emerged as the by-product of the pandemic, the survey found that almost 1/3rd of the people stated that their stress level increased post-Covid, 51% of them had contracted COVID themselves while 38% had a family member staying with them who suffered from the viral disease. Digging deeper, the study also found that 2/3rd of the people post contracting Covid faced heart-related issues. The problem seemed to be comparatively lower in metro cities (55%) as compared to tier 1 & 2 cities (67%).

The reports also stated, “Although there has been a documented rise in cases of heart ailments among young people (below 45 years of age), less than 2/3rd (63%) of respondents are aware that CVDs today is impacting the younger age group as well. Similarly, awareness is also lower among the 40+ age group (63%) where vulnerability is highest. The survey also revealed that more than 1/3rd of the people are unaware of the first aid measures that can help in case of cardiac arrest.”