nThere are certain diseases, the treatment costs of which do not qualify for insurance claim. These include the treatment of conditions (such as pain in the liver) induced by alcoholic or drug addiction (a doctor’s prescription usually reveals a patient’s dietary and lifestyle habits, on the basis of which insurance companies assess cases); ailments and diseases which have physical manifestations over a period of time and if the person was afflicted with the disease at the time of signing up for the policy. As Dr Shuvam Chakraborty of Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, Delhi, points out, “With modern equipment, it is possible to both diagnose a disease as well as determine its history.”