As a citizen, you must know how medical insurance works in Cameroon. Medical insurance is an essential yet vague part of the industry, especially in a country like Cameroon. The average citizen isn't bothered about insuring himself but focuses on valuable properties.
However, life remains our greatest asset, and consequentially the medical aspect of insurance. In recent times, making health insurance compulsory by the federal government has done a lot to spread its reach across the nation.
What is medical insurance?
Medical insurance is simply protection or insurance against certain medical expenses. However, the average one mainly covers specialized medical treatments, while some cover medical procedures. Also, the coverage is often limited depending on the plan's details. Medical insurance is primarily handled by a health maintenance organization (HMO) which settles the bill directly with the hospital or reimburses the insured if they pay out of pocket.
How does medical insurance work?
It has a straightforward procedure, let’s say, requirements for getting health insurance. It involves a residual purchasing an insurance plan, which gives specific specified medical coverage or more, depending on the policy.
It usually provides coverage against specific diseases, hospitalization treatment, accidents, and other treatment expenses. Also, usually comes with a pre-decided assured sum. However, this could be more or less depending on the policy coverage.
They form a plan or policy based on the following details; the insured’s age, gender, sum insured, geographic location, and expected insured's of the plan. Also, HMOs mainly process medical insurance through; cashless treatment and reimbursement. Furthermore, you can purchase an individual plan or more of a family basis edition.
What are the benefits of medical insurance?
It comes with different benefits, which include the following:
- It provides coverage against pre-specified medical expenses
- Coverage against critical illnesses
- Cashless claim benefit that eases you off out-of-pocket payment
- It gives additional protection beyond the basic group plan purchased by most employer
What does Medical Insurance cover?
Generally, medical insurance mainly covers the following:
- Other exceptions and peculiar treatments, as stated by the policy
- Cosmetic procedures
- Fertility treatment
- Certain expensive medical procedures
It usually does not cover the following but could, depending on your policy:
- Regular hospital visits
- Drug prescription
- Wellness and care
What is the difference between medical insurance and health insurance?
The difference between the two is that medical insurance provides you with coverage over specific ailments and accidents for a certain amount of time. On the other hand, health insurance offers a more comprehensive range of hospital expenses.
Also, medical insurance does not cover critical illnesses and offers no flexibility in terms of coverage. Furthermore, health insurance provides these and allows you the flexibility to reduce policy duration and premium after a while.
Conclusion
Medical insurance is the less-known part of the insurance industry in Cameroon. It provides coverage for certain pre-defined treatments and is more specific than general health insurance. Also, purchasing medical insurance is your best bet against battling bills that could arise from specialized emergency treatments.
See Also: Requirements For Getting Health Insurance in Cameroon.