New Delhi, May 26 -- Insurance regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) mandated in May 2024 that insurers must decide on policyholders' cashless pre-authorization requests within one hour of receiving documents from hospitals. The window extends to three hours for final authorization on the discharge day.

While the move has broadly been welcomed, it has also created fresh troubles due to lapses in approvals that are later rejected. What happens when a patient gets approval within an hour, only to face rejection midway through treatment or on the day of discharge?

For many families, the sudden reversal turns into a financial emergency despite having insurance coverage.

Take the case of Jaipur-based Deep...