Ex-journalist says HDFC ERGO rejected her medical insurance claim due to 'tension'. Company responds

A former journalist has claimed that despite having insurance from HDFC ERGO, she was recently put in a tough spot when she was admitted to a hospital after she lost consciousness suddenly. Preeti Chobey said that the insurance company rejected her medical claim since she apparently fell unwell due to "tension", leaving her to pay the medical bills herself.

"I was admitted to Medanta due to sudden unconsciousness as I had HDFC ERGO general insurance which covers Medanta. They referred me to ICU heart. Later, HDFC denied my claim stating it happened due to tension. I trusted my insurance and now they left me with no choice," Chobey wrote on X. Her post triggered a backlash against the company and garnered more than 1.4 million views on X.

Responding to the post, the insurance company wrote, "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."

Meanwhile, in a statement HDFC ERGO said, "As a responsible insurer the health and wellness of our customers is of utmost importance to us. In this particular case, the claim was intimated to us by the hospital on behalf of the insured on 18th April 2024. For proper adjudication of the claim we have sought additional documents from the hospital. However, considering the time sensitivity, we had requested the claimant to continue with the treatment and submit documents for reimbursement."

The company added that they have reached out to Chobey on Monday and have requested her to share the necessary documents, "upon receipt of which, we will initiate an evaluation and verification of the same and process the said claim within 24 hours of completing this process.”