What are the Best Health Insurances That Cover Mental Illnesses in India?

Mental illnesses, also called mental disorders, are a wide range of mental health conditions that impact your thinking, emotions, feelings, mood, and behaviour. They may occur for a short period or come and go over time. At some point, almost everyone experiences mental health problems.

Some common mental illnesses are anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, other mood disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders.

Nowadays, mental health is getting more attention and awareness than ever before. Adding mental health cover to health insurance has been invaluable for those suffering from various conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress-related disorders, and neurological issues.

The best health insurance for mental health in India is the one that comes with wide hospitalisation coverage, includes OPD benefits, has fewer restrictions and provides access to a wide range of network hospitals.

Why Do You Need Health Insurance for Mental Illness?

Individuals may need a policy for mental illnesses due to several essential reasons:

• Growing mental health issues: Nowadays, several conditions such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia are becoming more common, which can affect day-to-day life.


• Legal Protection: Under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, mental illnesses should be covered in health insurance plans. This makes sure that individuals can access treatment without any exclusions or limitations.


• Financial Safety:Knowing that you have a health insurance policy that provides coverage for mental illnesses offers peace of mind and financial protection. It helps avoid out-of-pocket expenses during treatment.

Benefits of Having Health Insurance that Covers Mental Illness

1. Extensive Coverage: It provides coverage for a wide range of mental health issues, like stress-related disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders.


2. Mental Health Support Services:Some plans offer additional mental health support, such as behavioural counselling, personalised health coaching, etc.


3. Pre- and Post-Hospitalisation coverage:The expenses incurred before admission and after discharge may also be covered.


4. Inpatient and Outpatient Benefits: Both inpatient and outpatient care may be covered in your health insurance policy.


5. Cashless Hospitalisation: The patient can avail themselves of a cashless facility at a wide network of hospitals and health clinics.

Things to Consider When choosing a policy for Mental Illnesses

When opting for one of the best health insurance policies for mental illnesses in India, consider these factors:

• Check if your health insurance plan provides coverage for both hospitalisation and OPD (therapy/counselling).


• Look at the waiting periods, since every health insurance policy applies a waiting period of 1–3 years before mental illness coverage is fully active.


• Check if there are sub-limits, such as caps on therapy costs or room rent.


• Go for a health insurance policy with a wide list of network hospitals, mainly mental health centres.


• Review how smoothly and quickly the claim settlement ratio process is done.