The Egyptian Insurance Federation stressed, in its weekly bulletin, the importance of mental health insurance, which includes the social, mental and psychological well-being of people.
The most important effects resulting from improving a person’s mental health:
Improve physical health.
Aiding in recovery from organic ailments, enhancing sleep quality.
Increase productivity.
Improving relationships with others.
Mental health insurance.
The federation said that the demand for mental health coverage began to increase as part of the health insurance benefits, especially after some academic psychiatrists and doctors specializing in this field stated that mental illnesses are less expensive than organic diseases. There have also been calls in some countries, such as the UAE, India and the United States of America, calling for the necessity of issuing a law binding on including mental health care products in insurance policies.
What does mental health insurance cover?
Any expenses incurred by the insured in case of necessity requiring hospitalization due to any mental or psychological illness; It also includes diagnostic expenses, medication and treatment costs.
A few insurance companies also cover psychological counseling sessions and counseling related to psychological or mental illnesses under the outpatient examination clause.
Psychological or mental illnesses covered by insurance “severe depression”:
schizophrenic bipolar disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorders
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
mood disorder mental disorder
The main challenges facing mental health insurance:
Feeling ashamed or ashamed of a patient suffering from mental disorders.
The company indicated the readiness of insurance companies to integrate mental health benefits into insurance policies, as the price factor is still an obstacle to many employers taking the decision to integrate these benefits into their employees’ insurance policies.
As well as increasing the awareness of economic entities and changing their culture so that they understand the importance of supporting the mental health of employees, which leads to a decrease in absenteeism rates and significantly affects the net income of the institution or company.
The role of the Egyptian Insurance Federation:
Believing in the importance of the role of insurance in creating a sound community environment and contributing to achieving a better life for all, the Union always seeks to develop the insurance thought within the Egyptian market and try to develop insurance products to suit the changing needs of customers and contribute to maintaining the integrity of the community environment.
The Federation has always been concerned with the issue of health and providing medical insurance services to clients, especially since the third goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is concerned with achieving good health and human well-being.
Therefore, the Federation has taken the following steps in order to enhance the contribution of insurance in the provision of health-related services:
The Federation established a specialized committee for medical insurance and health care, with the aim of discussing the latest developments in this type of insurance, as well as trying to design insurance coverages that suit the needs of customers in this regard.
The Egyptian Insurance Federation, in cooperation with the Arab General Insurance Federation and the Egyptian Health Care Administration Association, organizes the “Regional Forum for Medical Insurance and Health Care”, which is held every two years, through which the latest developments in the medical insurance and health care system are addressed through discussions and lectures delivered by elite From local and international experts during the forum sessions. So far, seven forums have been organized, the last of which was at the beginning of this year.
Comprehensive Health Insurance Law:
The Union also contributed to the societal dialogue that was conducted on the Comprehensive Health Insurance Law.. The Union submitted a number of proposals to amend the Comprehensive Health Insurance Law, among them allowing the state to allow insurance companies to contract directly with customers, for specific coverages that the system may not provide as the network system. Medical for example.
The federation organized a number of sporting events that would advocate the preservation of human physical and psychological health through sports practice, as well as increasing the insurance awareness of community members.. The federation organized three running competitions (marathon) during the years 2018 and 2019 and the third marathon will be held this year On July 2, at Al Jazeera Youth Sports Center. The Federation also organizes a number of sports competitions on the sidelines of the Sharm El-Sheikh annual conference, with the aim of giving participants in the conference the opportunity to have a break and get rid of work burdens and pressures.