International Day of Action for Women’s Health 2020: More women taking charge of their health and health insurance needs

New Delhi, May 28, 2020: A few decades’ ago main stream media started recognizing this growing breed of superwomen. These were your everyday women, seen in every house who juggled different roles and responsibilities with efficiency and panache. She is at the same time a mother, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, friend, employee, colleague, home-maker, commuter, earner, and consumer. Juggling these multiple roles is a daily routine and a delicate balancing act that leaves her with very little time to focus on the most important role of all – herself. And one of the biggest setbacks in not being able to focus on herself is that everything about her takes a backseat to the demands of the rest of the world, including her own health and well-being.

But what is this superwoman avatar doing to the normal woman? According to a study conducted by industry body ASSOCHAM, 80% working women in India are suffering from lifestyle, chronic or acute ailments like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, depression, obesity and backache. A recent survey indicates that, as Indian women strive to do the best in their profession and life, they are neglecting their health.

According to the survey, out of the total respondents, 16% did not go for any tests while 63% went for health check-ups only if they were unwell. It also revealed only 39% of women were covered by any health cover. Among those who were not insured, 53% never gave a thought to purchasing health insurance, the report mentioned. The survey also indicated that more than 80% of men and women interviewed believe that the breadwinner should primarily be insured against health and life-related threats.

The pressure of having to balance personal and professional lives has been identified as the primary culprit for this alarming state of her health. Minor wellbeing concerns, if overlooked, can snowball into significant wellbeing challenges later. Apart from lifestyle diseases that afflict everyone, women also have to grapple with illnesses like breast cancer, spine ailments, anemia and calcium deficiency-fueled bone disorders that are either women-specific diseases or show a high level of occurrence in women. Pregnancy and post-natal care, as well, call for extraordinary care and alertness as they can lead to more complications.

The world is now slowly waking up to the need for women centric solutions and we are finding more and more options in the market that cater to her and her health needs. However, as the pressures of balancing personal and professional lives continue to be inescapable, most women will continue to be vulnerable to ill health and critical illnesses.

As a result, apart from taking care of their health through physical exercise, regular medical check-ups and prompt treatment, Indian women need to recognize the need to acquire a critical tool that can safeguard and restore their health without burning a hole in their purse. That tool is health insurance. Not only can health insurance reimburse hospitalization costs should you be struck by a medical emergency, certain variants can also shoulder planned maternity expenses.  Several insurance companies offer specialized insurance plans that cater to the essential necessities of women such as maternity expenses, personal accident cover, hospitalization and post hospitalization charges  for critical illnesses treatment. Today they also reward you for leading a healthy lifestyle.

Keeping all these factors in mind, Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Limited (ABHICL), the health insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), had launched a campaign – “Rakho Poora Khayal”– an awareness campaign that urges women to complete the protection circle by influencing and purchasing health insurance for themselves and their families in December 2019. Therefore, through this campaign ABHI aims at motivating and urging women to complete the health protection circle by helping to choose the right ‘health’ insurance for themselves and their families. The purpose of Aditya Birla Health Insurance as a brand is to motivate people to focus on the wellness and health element of health insurance.

Mr. Mayank Bathwal, CEO, Aditya Birla Health Insurance said, since its inception, we’ve noticed a major shift in the buying pattern among women in 2019-20 as compared to 2018-19. When we launched ‘RakhoPooraKhayal’ campaign last year, our intention was to raise awareness among Indian women to be the ‘Total Health Guardian’ of their family. This campaign was aligned with ABHI’s purpose of inspiring individuals and families to put their ‘Health First’ and the philosophy of ‘Health Insurance for all’. Traditionally, health insurance companies majorly communicated directly with the men of the house. However, through #RakhoPooraKhayal we intended to break this narrative and further urge women to complete the health protection circle by helping to choose the right ‘health’ insurance for themselves and their families. We witnessed 41% growth over last one year, in the number of Women Proposers, with majority being single working women.

Q n A for Mr. Mayank Bathwal :

1. How has RakhoPooraKhayal impacted the lives of several women?

The campaign has impacted the lives of several women in two ways.  Firstly, by making them aware of the need of health insurance which encouraged them to participate in the evaluation and decision making process of buying a Health Insurance plan for self and the family. As a consequence of the first step, women themselves came forward and purchased the plan which increased the number of women proposers (41%) as compared to previous year

2. Is there any specific trend that you observed like in the buying pattern among women with respect to products?

Our research indicated women understand the need of protection and role of finances well in case a medical emergency. Women are open to purchasing plans online or consult a trusted agent for advice. The segment is primarily looking for insurance products that are simple to understand and one that pays claims in times of need. Earlier women bought Cancer plan but the awareness and need for an indemnity plan has increased today which has led to women purchasing indemnity plans for themselves and parents. This trend has been observed majorly among single working women.

3. Does ABHI have any plans to create a product that caters exclusively to women’s needs and requirements?

Most of our plans comprehensive that cover not just health insurance needs but also cater to health-specific needs of a woman- i.e. Active Assure offers Health coaches to consult for guidance on nutrition, diet and lifestyle management and HealthReturns that encourages customers to live an active life. Not surprisingly, our Activ Assure is the most preferred product among women. They look for following features (giving top 5) in their HI plan- Cashless hospitalisation, Good network of hospitals, quick and hassle free claim settlement (a very important feature for them), no. of diseases covered, health benefits.

Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)