Medisep, a health insurance scheme for state government employees, pensioners and their dependents, is coming into effect on this New Year's Day after much controversy. Since a lot of procedures are yet to be completed, it will take two or three months for the insurance scheme to be fully implemented.

At present, one cannot move forward without insurance coverage. The cost of treatment is going beyond reach. Even upper middle class families are finding it difficult to afford hospital bills. The huge increase in the cost of treatment is a huge problem along with the illness that paralyzes the family.

Medisep membership is a must for all government employees. Exemptions will be available only for civil servants. Employees as well as their partners, children up to the age of 25 and parents are covered by the insurance. Employees of institutions such as local bodies and universities and their family members will be part of the scheme. Medisep will become the largest health care scheme in the state.

Employees will have to pay a nominal monthly premium of Rs 500. Rs 6000 a year is not a huge amount these days. Medisep will cover up to Rs 18 lakh for the treatment of fatal diseases. If the amount for the treatment is not claimed for the respective year, Rs 1.5 lakh can be transferred to the next year. By the third year, Rs 6 lakh will be in the employee's insurance account. The duration of the scheme will be three years. After three years, beneficiaries can either modify or continue with the scheme. The insurance cover will be available for treatment only at the hospitals designated by the Oriental Insurance Company, which has been tasked with the implementation of the scheme. The list includes more than 300 hospitals in the public and private sectors. The number of diseases covered is 1920.

If there are any defects in the scheme, a chance should be given to rectify them. The scheme should not be delayed by pointing out that the employees are not completely satisfied with it. Medisep should be implemented. Deficiencies can be resolved gradually. Some might argue that free treatment for up to Rs 3 lakh a year is unattractive. However, those who got admitted to private hospitals for minor issues might know about the cost of treatment in such hospitals. If one stays in hospital for five or six days, the hospital bill may cross several lakhs. Hence, one cannot say that this three lakh limit is unattractive, especially during these times struck by the pandemic. Authorities should also make efforts to bring more hospitals with better medical facilities into the scheme. The insurance company will benefit immensely with lakhs of employees and pensioners being part of the scheme. Accordingly, the company must disburse benefits without any complaint. Since there will be no coverage for treatment availed at the OP department, medical reimbursement scheme for government employees for OP treatment at government hospitals and super-speciality hospitals would continue. Pension organisations have criticised the fact that pensioners are allowed to include only the spouse. The government should look into how to quell such criticisms.