Court: Refusal of Health Insurance Claims Curbs Right to Life; Treatment Cannot Be Stopped

The Kerala High Court has ruled that denying health insurance claims infringes upon the right to life, as enshrined in Article 21. The court’s stance, delivered by Justice P.M. Manoj, came in the context of a legal petition. The court found that if an insured individual is eligible and receives medical treatment or undergoes surgery recommended by a doctor, the insurance company is obligated to approve the claim. The court asserted that rejecting such claims is a violation of the fundamental right to life. This decision reinforces the imperative to ensure patients have access to the medical care they require without the undue impediment of insurance claim denials.