HC to state: Come out with medical insurance for elderly

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the state and central governments to come out with a scheme to extend medical insurance to senior citizens.A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty was hearing a public interest litigation filed by city-based Letzkit Foundation.

Declining to issue directions as prayed by the petitioner to the authorities to issue medical insurance policies to senior citizens at a lower premium or at affordable cost, the  division bench said that it cannot pass such orders in this regard as the insurance policies will be issued based on various factors including commercial.

“As this court cannot issue a direction to issue insurance policy to senior citizens, we direct the state and central governments to come out with a scheme for senior citizens, especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic”, the bench said.The bench observed that it is repeatedly held by the apex court that right to health is a right under Article 21 of the Constitution.

File response on health schemes for elderly: HC 

Therefore, “we direct the state government and central government to file responses explaining the various schemes available with reference to the health of senior citizens,” the bench said. It also directed the state to tell whether it can come out with a policy or law on or before January 8. The next hearing will be held on January 11.The petitioner claimed that senior citizens have been denied government-sponsored medical facilities or the premium charged for availing such facilities in the health insurance policies is at a higher slab which many of them cannot afford.