Group Health Insurance glossary
Teleconsultation Benefit in Group Health Plans
A teleconsultation benefit gives employees remote doctor consultations — by video, call or chat — included in a group plan, either unlimited or capped per year. It covers everyday and primary care without filing an insurance claim, so a team member can reach a qualified doctor in minutes, from anywhere, at no cost at the point of care.
On eligible plans, general-physician teleconsultations are prepaid — a doctor in minutes, with no claim filed and no dent to the group’s renewal premium.
How a teleconsultation benefit works in a group plan
When you buy a group plan for your team, the teleconsultation benefit is prepaid and bundled in — it is a service, not an insurance claim. Employees open the app, pick a symptom or speciality, and connect to a doctor within minutes. Some plans make general-physician consults unlimited; others include a set number per member each year, and specialist consults are more often capped.
Because it sits outside the insurance layer, using it never touches your cashless claim record or renewal premium. After the consult, the doctor issues a digital prescription, which typically links to discounted medicine delivery and diagnostic tests, keeping routine care fast and low-cost.
Coverage is usually available from day one and often extends to dependants — spouse, children and sometimes parents — subject to the plan’s rules. The exact consultation limits and eligibility always live in the plan details, so confirm them before you communicate the benefit.
A worked example (annual value to the team)
Take a 200-employee company. A private GP video consult costs about ₹500 out of pocket. If each employee uses just four teleconsultations a year instead of paying privately, the benefit avoids ₹4,00,000 of out-of-pocket spend across the team — and that is before medicine and test discounts.
Consults per year
Value at ₹500 each
Employee cost at point of care
For each employee that is ₹2,000 of routine-care value a year they never have to think about — and because none of it is an insurance claim, the group’s claims ratio and renewal premium stay untouched.
Why the teleconsultation benefit matters for employers
Most health spend for a working-age team is not hospitalisation — it is coughs, skin issues, mental-health check-ins and second opinions. A teleconsultation benefit is the layer that handles all of that without a clinic visit, half a day of lost productivity, or a network-hospital trip. It is the part of the plan employees actually use month to month.
It also protects your insurance economics. When routine issues are resolved by a remote doctor early, fewer minor problems escalate into hospital claims, which helps keep the group’s claims ratio — and next year’s premium — in check. In effect, it is preventive care that pays for itself.
And it is highly visible. Unlike cover an employee may never claim on, teleconsultations get used across the whole team, including dependants, making the benefit feel real and generous for a relatively small, fixed cost per head.
How Onsurity delivers the teleconsultation benefit
Onsurity builds teleconsultation into the membership itself — real, qualified doctors employees can reach from the Onsurity Super App by text, call or video, with free doctor teleconsultations included on every plan — the number varies by plan, and each one unlocks after 3 months of continuous membership. It is live from day one, so there is no waiting period before the team can use it.
The benefit connects to the rest of the plan: a consult can lead to a digital prescription, discounted medicines, lab tests, and — where hospitalisation is needed — a cashless claim at 10,000+ network hospitals, all in one app. Employees never pay at the point of a consultation, and none of it dents the insurance claims record.
HR manages everything — plan usage, member details and claims status — from the TeamSure dashboard, so the same place that runs your insurance also shows how actively the team is using its everyday-care benefit.
Frequently asked questions
Is a teleconsultation benefit the same as health insurance?
No. A teleconsultation benefit is a healthcare service bundled into a group plan that lets employees speak to a doctor remotely, usually for everyday and primary-care needs. It sits alongside insurance cover, which pays for hospitalisation and larger claims, and is typically available from day one.
Are teleconsultations really unlimited?
It depends on how the plan is structured. Many group plans offer unlimited general-physician teleconsultations, while specialist consults may be capped to a set number per member per year. Always confirm the consultation limits and any specialist rules in the plan details before you communicate the benefit.
Does using a teleconsultation raise the insurance premium?
No. Teleconsultations are a fixed, prepaid part of the plan, not an insurance claim, so an employee booking a video consult does not affect the claims record or the renewal premium the way a hospitalisation claim can. That is part of why employers value it as a first port of call.
Can employees get medicines and tests through a teleconsultation?
Yes. After a remote consultation the doctor can issue a digital prescription, and most plans link that to discounted medicine delivery and diagnostic tests. This keeps routine care fast and low-cost, and reserves hospital visits and insurance claims for cases that genuinely need them.
Do dependants get the teleconsultation benefit too?
Usually yes, where the group plan covers family. Spouse, children and often parents can use the same remote-consultation service under the employee’s plan, subject to the plan’s coverage rules. Confirm dependant eligibility in the policy details, as it varies between plans.
Want everyday care built into your team’s plan?
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