Out-patient coverage: Private sector insurance in India

BACKGROUND: There has been a growth of 25% in the health insurance business in India during the last few years with the expansion of the private health insurance sector. The share of the private health insurance companies has increased considerably, despite the fact that from the patients’ point of view, health insurance is not a good deal. AIM: To provide information and assess the current status of private sector insurance with regard to out-patient coverage in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present review was conducted after doing extensive literature search of peer review journals in Pubmed and various search engines like Google. Data of Indian private health insurance companies was also utilized. No limitation in terms of publication date and language was considered. The main focus of the present review would be on the private health insurance sector with a spotlight on the out-patient coverage and various obstacles faced by the private health insurance sector. RESULTS: Out-patient (OPD) coverage is one of the important emerging trends in the private sector health insurance. OPD cover assists the insured to claim expenses other than that incurred during hospitalization. However, it is still not a full-fledged offering under health insurance and major insurance companies are providing this cover for an additional premium. CONCLUSION: Private is strongly being advocated and receiving growing consideration by our country's policy makers that can deal with alarming health care challenges in India. However, it is not the only option.