Saif Ali Khan's cashless claim: AMC questions swift Rs 25 lakh approval for actor's treatment after attack
The Association of Medical Consultants (AMC) has raised concerns about preferential treatment for celebrities, following the swift approval of Rs 25 lakh for actor Saif Ali Khan's cashless treatment.
FollowThe 14,000-member Association of Medical Consultants (AMC) has written to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), expressing concern over the rapid approval of Rs 25 lakh for the cashless treatment of actor Saif Ali Khan at Lilavati Hospital, Bandra, last week. The AMC criticized this as evidence of "preferential treatment" towards a celebrity, contrasting it with the benefits typically provided to ordinary policyholders.
"Such a huge sanction and at that speed are rarely seen in the healthcare industry," said the doctor as quoted by TOI, adding that most individual policyholders would get an initial sanction of Rs 50,000. Another doctor said insurance clearances take a long time in medico-legal cases. "The ‘delay, deny and deduct' complaint against US insurance companies holds true here as well," he said.
According to the AMC letter, "Khan's insurance claim highlights a troubling trend where celebrities and high-profile individuals and patients with corporate policies receive favourable terms and higher cashless treatment limits, while ordinary citizens struggle with insufficient coverage and low reimbursement rates."
The letter stated that such practices create an unjust disparity and undermine the principle of equal access to healthcare.
The association also aims to raise awareness about its long-standing demands for greater transparency in the sanctioning process. AMC members who operate nursing homes are either unable to provide a cashless treatment option to their patients or are compelled to offer significantly lower rates.
"TPAs and insurance companies have created an atmosphere where a policyholder would pay lakhs for the same procedure and the same surgeon in a corporate, but they deduct costs at a nursing home," according to an AMC member who owns a nursing home.
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