Today, only about 30 million Indians and an estimated 2 to 3 per cent of total healthcare expenditures are covered by some form of private health insurance. Existing private health insurance is typically provided by large-group employers and focuses on hospitalization benefits with a limited sum assured. To dramatically improve health insurance coverage, India will need to find financially sustainable ways to increase access for the majority segments of the population and develop insurance plans that cover preventive care interventions and drugs.
To help advance the debate on potential solutions for the FICCI Conference on “Sustainable Health Insurance – Need of the Hour”, we have assembled four background papers drawing on the expertise of our Global Healthcare Payors and Providers Practice. These background perspectives do not purport to have the answers for India, but are intended to provide helpful ways to think about some of the key issues the conference organizers have laid out in their agenda.