7th Pay Commission latest news: The Supreme Court of India has said that central government employees can't be denied health insurance benefits (Mediclaim) just because they chose a private hospital instead of the government hospital listed with the CHGS (Central Government Health Scheme) panel. For the central government employees, this allowance relief will have come as a blessing. The apex court delivered its verdict on Saturday and said that a central government employee or a pensioner can't be denied their entitlements, in this case Mediclaim benefits, in case, the beneficiary went for treatment at a hospital (even private), which is outside the CGHS panel.

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The Supreme Court said that reimbursement cannot be denied to central government employees either during service if he or she does not seek treatment from a hospital that is not on the list of CGHS-empanelled hospitals. The same applies in case of retired central government employees or pensioners too.

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"The right to medical claim cannot be denied merely because the name of the hospital is not included in the government order," the bench of Justice RK Agrawal and Justice Ashok Bhushan was quoted by India Today.

Notably, the Supreme Court went on to add that the government will only have to verify that the claim being made by an employee or a pensioner is in the record of a certified doctor or hospital or not. The SC said that the government can also verify if the employee or pensioner concerned has actually taken treatment or not. Based on these facts, an employee or a pensioner can be denied or granted Mediclaim, it said.

The Supreme Court of India delivered this massive mediclaim relief for the central government employees and pensioners while hearing a petition filed by a retired central government employee who had sought treatment from two private hospitals and demanded the reimbursement of medical bills.