Choosing a health insurance in India

2 min read

Updated byVeedushi Bissessuron 03 June 2020

India has a universal healthcare system applicable throughout the country. So public healthcare is free for all. However, the standard of services and facilities available largely varies in different parts. Many public hospitals lack enough funds and equipment to efficiently serve a large number of incoming patients. There is a lack of proper hygiene as well, especially in rural areas.

In this article

Types of insurance in India
Choosing health insurance
Cost of health insurance

The private hospitals in the country are more expensive but offer much better treatment facilities. Therefore, a lot of people opt for private medical coverage to improve their healthcare services.

Types of insurance in India

There are different types of private health insurance that you can take care of before visiting India. These include:

International Health Insurance
Travel Insurance
Expat Life and Disability insurance
Group Expat Insurance

Depending on your needs, you can select an insurance plan that works well for you. While there are local providers available, Expats will particularly find international policies more attractive since they offer more extensive coverage. Among the international providers, Allianz Care and Cigna Global offer popularly beneficial policies.

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Choosing health insurance in India

You must ensure that you have sufficient health coverage before visiting India. If you're visiting as an employee, your employer company will most likely provide you with some insurance benefits for your stay here. Otherwise, you'll need to select an insurance plan on your own. Most expats will prefer international health insurance with global coverage while in India. One must check what hospitals are covered under the insurance scheme before finalizing the purchase decision. A plan with a large network of hospitals is recommended. If your insurance provider is not recognized by an Indian hospital, make sure to keep all the paperwork handy so as to get reimbursed by your insurance company.

Cost of health insurance in India

The various insurance plans vary greatly in their costs. So one must go through all the insurance policies carefully before finalizing the purchase. Many policies cover the entire family in their plan. Yearly contributions to health insurance might start at around INR10,000.

After purchasing an insurance plan, you will most likely receive an insurance card. However, unlike Western nations, this card usually works at very few good hospitals and you may have to pay most of your expenses using cash.

Useful links:

Bajaj Allianz
Royal Sundaram

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We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.

About the author

Veedushi Bissessur

A journalist, holder of the DALF C1 and C2 and a diploma from the University of Mauritius, I have nearly twenty years of writing experience. After six years in the Mauritian press, I joined Expat.com, where I have been working for over a decade, including five years as editorial assistant, and now as editorial manager. 