Trending: HDFC In Hot Water After Ex-journalist 'Denied' Coverage For Medical Emergency

HDFC ERGO, an insurance provider known for its wide range of products and services, including comprehensive auto and health insurance policies, has come under scrutiny following allegations from a former journalist. Preeti Chobey revealed that she faced a challenging situation when she unexpectedly lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital, despite being covered by insurance from the company. However, Chobey claimed that her medical expenses were not covered as expected, as the insurance company denied her claim, attributing her condition to a purported “tension”-related illness.

Preeti Chobey claimed in a post on the microblogging site X that she was admitted to Medanta because of an unexpected loss of consciousness and the particular hospital is covered by her HDFC ERGO general insurance. She was referred to the ICU heart by doctors. Afterwards, she said that HDFC refuted her claim, saying it was the result of “tension.”

“I trusted my insurance and now they left me with no choice.”

Her tweet received more than 1.5 million views on X and incited criticism against the firm.

The insurance firm replied to the post, saying, “Hello Preeti, this is certainly not the experience we want you to have, and I deeply regret any inconvenience caused in the process. I request you to share your policy number and contact details privately so I can re-escalate it to the relevant department. Wish you a good health.”

Many users in the comments section shared similar instances. “I had health insurance of 1 cr but they denied me multiple times and I changed my insurance provider. I am happy as I didn’t pay a single penny after shifting. They are just frauds,” said an HDFC user.

Another user said, “Skyrocketing premiums and then insurance companies do this to their members! No less than cheating!”

“Dear Indians – this experience of Ms Chobey is harrowing. Pls be careful in selecting your health insurance provider. HDFC ergo should be the last of your choices, clearly,” said another one.

According to the company’s website, its plan is supported by the confidence of over 1.5 crore satisfied consumers over the last 18 years. It promises to smoothly cover hospitalisation charges such as room rent, investigations, ICU, surgery, doctor consultations and so on resulting from illnesses and injuries.

Interestingly, the website also states that the firm considers mental healthcare to be just as vital as hospitalisation for physical disease or accident and would cover hospitalisation costs for treating mental ailments.