Consumables Coverage in Health Insurance

What is Consumables Cover in Health Insurance?

Consumable cover is an add-on (or sometimes an in-built feature) that covers the disposable medical supplies used during hospitalisation. A standard insurance plan typically excludes these items. These supplies, known as consumables, include masks, gloves, syringes, PPE Kits, and other daily-use essentials. Those small consumables can silently inflate your bill. Without this add-on, every rupee comes from your pocket. 

Care Health Insurance’s Claim Shield and Claim Shield Plus take care of 68+ commonly excluded hospital consumables that aren’t payable under standard policies.

What is Covered Under Health Insurance for Consumables?

Non-reusable medical supplies used during hospitalisation, which often account for a large share of the final hospital cost, are covered. Here’s a glimpse of the types of consumables Claim Shield helps cover:

Surgical Consumables 

Include everyday medical supplies required during surgeries or patient care:

• Gloves
• Masks 
• Cotton & bandages
• Syringes & needles 
• Surgical tapes & dressings 
• Surgical blades 
• Sutures 

Medical Supplies & Equipment 

Covers vital medical devices and disposable medical tools: 

• Oxygen masks 
• Spirometers 
• Thermometers 
• Braces & slings 
• Cervical collars 
• Infusion pumps 
• Catheters 

Housekeeping & Administrative Consumables 

These cover everyday, non-clinical essentials that hospitals commonly add to the bill: 

• Admission kits 
• Visitors passes 
• Documentation & discharge procedure charges 
• Housekeeping services 
• Hygiene essentials like hand wash, disposable caps, gloves, and slippers. 

Other Miscellaneous Consumables 

Provides for miscellaneous items needed in critical care or for infection-control purposes: While traditional policies skip these charges, Care Health Insurance address this gap with add-ons like: 

• PPE kits 
• Disinfectants 
• Spirit & hydrogen peroxide 
• Baby food
• Carry bags 
• Other basic items are mentioned in the policy terms.

Why is it Excluded From Standard Health Insurance Policies?

To keep health insurance affordable and prevent misuse, insurers often exclude them from basic health plans. That’s why add-ons like Claim Shield or Claim Shield Plus are designed to cover these non-payable items specifically.

• They Are Single-Use Items That Add Up Quickly: Because consumables are used frequently during treatment, they can increase hospital costs. Covering them in all base policies, overall claim expenses and premiums would rise sharply. 
• High Risk of Overcharging by Hospitals: Since consumable pricing can vary within hospital environments, it sometimes reflects service and infrastructure costs. Including these items in all policies could contribute to excessive usage and higher claim amounts. 
• To Keep Base Insurance Premiums Affordable: Adding consumables to every policy would raise premiums for all policyholders, even those who never incur these costs. To keep plans reasonably priced, insurers often keep this coverage optional to preserve affordability. 

Add-on Options by Care Health Insurance to Cover Consumables Expenses 

Care Health Insurance offers multiple add-ons: Claim Shield, Claim Shield Plus, and Care Shield. Each is meant to cover consumable costs, yet each comes with its own set of benefits depending on the plan. 

Claim Shield

Care Health Insurance’s Claim Shield is an add-on that provides coverage for 68 consumables and other typically excluded items, such as masks, gloves, syringes, and miscellaneous hospital costs that regular policies don’t include. It cuts down unexpected expenses, broadens your coverage, and supports a smoother cashless claim experience. 

Claim Shield Plus

It’s an advanced add-on that provides extended coverage to over 140+ non-payable items. It delivers comprehensive protection to keep medical bills manageable.

Care Shield 

An optional add-on that boosts your policy by covering 68 non-payable hospital expenses, protecting your No Claim Bonus even after a claim, and automatically increasing your sum insured to match medical inflation. It contributes to fewer deductions and improves coverage over time.

Care Shield Plus 

An add-on benefit that includes coverage for more than 140 non-payable hospitalisation items, protection of NCB/NCB Super for claims below 25% of Base SI, and an increase in policy sum insured on renewal based on CPI inflation.

Disclaimer: For a complete list of 140+ non-payable items in Claim Shield Plus & Care Shield Plus, refer to this PDF.

Benefits of Opting for the Consumables Cover 

Opting for a consumables cover like Claim Shield and Shield+ ensures essential medical disposables and other minor non-medical expenses are covered, often excluded from regular health insurance. These expenses can add up to a significant portion of your hospital costs, so the coverage gives you meaningful financial relief.

The following are a few benefits of opting for consumables cover:

Broader financial protection: The Consumables cover provides broader medical and non-medical coverage, helping you stay financially secure during hospitalisation. 

• Peace of mind: It lets you focus on recovery rather than stressing over unexpected or accumulating charges. 
• Access to quality care: It ensures you can access necessary disposable items and maintain hygiene standards without cutting corners to save costs. 
• Ideal for specific needs: This benefit is invaluable for seniors, chronic patients or situations where disposable medical items are used extensively, such as during a pandemic. 
• Simpler cashless claim: Policies with cashless options allow the insurer to pay a bigger part of your hospital bill upfront at network hospitals, reducing hassle and deductions. 

How does the Consumables Add-on Work in Real Life?

As consumables coverage takes care of hidden hospital costs, minimises out-of-pocket expenses, simplifies claim settlement, keep reading to understand the process and how it works step by step. 

• Hospital admission: You check into a network hospital covered under your active policy. 
• Claim intimation & processing: The hospital sends your insurer a pre-authorisation request for cashless treatment. Your policy is reviewed to verify what’s covered. 
• Consumables coverage in action: With consumables coverage, the insurer reviews your entire hospital bill and approves eligible disposable medical items in your bill according to your policy terms. 
• Better settlement: Since consumable coverage covers non-payable items, you receive a higher claim amount, reducing what you need to pay out-of-pocket. 
• Smooth discharge: You’re discharged from the hospital without surprise charges. At network hospitals, the process is primarily cashless, and for reimbursement claims, you receive higher reimbursements than you would if you didn’t have the consumable coverage add-on. 

Who Should Consider Consumables Coverage?

This coverage is designed for those seeking to reduce out-of-pocket costs and enhance their financial protection, including seniors, people with chronic conditions, and those who often require hospitalisation or prolonged hospital stays.  

• Individuals and families: Prevent multiple hospitalisations from piling up expensive charges for disposable and non-medical items. 
• Senior citizens: Regular hospital stays can make this consumables coverage useful for controlling non-medical and disposable expenses. 
• People with pre-existing conditions: Chronic health conditions typically require treatments and extended hospital stays, which lead to increasing consumable use. 
• Individuals in high-risk jobs: People working in high-risk environments and exposed to infections gain extra protection with consumables coverage. They don’t have to pay out of pocket for frequently used safety gear, such as PPE kits. 
• Anyone seeking financial security: Prevent last-minute hospital bills and stay financially relaxed. 

Comparison: With vs Without Consumables Coverage 

Consumables coverage lowers surprise hospital expenses, boosts your claim settlements and offers better financial protection. Though it comes with a modest premium increase, skipping it may let you save on premiums but leads to higher out-of-pocket costs and a more complicated claim process. \

Protip: Even if your base policy seems comprehensive, including consumables cover helps you minimise unexpected hospital expenses that add up quickly, particularly if you need hospital care or stay admitted for extended periods. 

How to Buy Health Insurance with Consumables Coverage?

Select a health plan curated to minimise your hospital bill for all essential treatment items during treatment, from medical supplies to routine disposable materials. 

• Visit the website: Start by heading to the official Care Health Insurance website. 
• Select a plan: Explore the health insurance section and choose one that offers consumable benefits. 
• Enter details and get a quote: Use the online premium calculator to receive an instant quote. 
• Customise your policy: Review the available add-ons. For plans that require an extra rider for consumable coverage, add the “Claim Shield” or “Claim Shield Plus” (if available) to boost coverage. 
• Fill the proposal form: Provide complete and correct personal, medical, and KYC details, especially any pre-existing medical conditions, so that your application is assessed without any complications. 
• Submit documents: Depending on the profile, additional documents such as ID proof, address proof, or medical records may be required for confirmation. 
• Make payment: Finalise your purchase by paying your premium safely using any convenient option, including cards, net banking, or wallet services. 
• Receive policy documents: Once your payment is processed, you will receive your policy documents, including your e-health card, via email. 

Why Choose Care Health Insurance for Consumable Coverage?

Consumables coverage with Care Health Insurance helps streamline hospitalisation, minimising unexpected expenses, allowing you to prioritise your healing. 

• Comprehensive protection: With the Care Shield add-on (or the built-in consumables cover in Care Freedom), your policy extends medical coverage for essential hospital supplies that standard plans usually do not cover, giving you more comprehensive coverage. 
• Reduces out-of-pocket expenses: Standard policies often exclude consumables, but Care Health Insurance cover these expenses, helping you avoid extra financial burden during hospitalisation. 
• Specific plans' benefits: With Care Supreme and Care Advantage, the Care Shield add-on protects up to 68 non-payable items, including consumables, while Care Freedom has an inbuilt consumable allowance for comprehensive protection. 
• Access to quality care without compromise: With consumables coverage, you can receive necessary hospital care, letting you access the best care without financial stress.