For middle-class and even better-off Indian households that buy health insurance, for employees who depend on employer-provided cover, and for poor families relying on public schemes, health coverage carries a common expectation: that illness will not leave them facing expenses they cannot afford.
A reported proposal for a 10 percent co-payment, questions over guidelines on whether hospital admissions are necessary, and IRDAI’s planned consultation on healthcare billing and insurance claims have brought a more fundamental question to the fore: when the necessity and cost of treatment are disputed, who should bear the financial risk?
