Egypt: Pricing cited as hurdle to purchase of mental health insurance coverage
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Aug 2022
Pricing remains an obstacle to many employers making the decision to incorporate mental health insurance benefits into insurance policies for their employees, noted the Insurance Federation of Egypt (IFE).
In its weekly bulletin, the IFE indicated the need to increase awareness in employers about mental health insurance and to change their attitude toward mental health issues so that they would understand the importance of supporting the mental health of employees. Benefits to employers include a decline in absenteeism rates and a more productive workforce when mental health is taken care of.
Another obstacle to the take-up of mental health insurance is the stigma felt by those who suffer from mental disorders. Such a feeling may affect the person’s desire to seek help. When the patient does not receive treatment, their condition may worsen and develop into a physical illness, affecting their professional and personal life.
The IFE pointed out that mental health insurance covers any expenses incurred by the insured including hospitalisation costs. It also includes diagnostic expenses, medicine and treatment costs. A few insurance companies cover psychological counselling sessions and counselling related to psychological or mental illnesses as an item of examination in outpatient clinics.
Psychological or mental illnesses covered by insurance include severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in addition to post-traumatic stress disorder, mood disorder and mental disorder.
The IFE bulletin also suggested that in considering mental health insurance, there is a need to determine the maximum annual psychological treatment that a patient might have to undergo. M