URGENT TALKS! Hospitals, Insurers & Govt Unite Against Soaring Medical Costs – Your Health Premiums Could Plummet!

Author

Satyam Jha | Whalesbook News Team

Detailed Coverage:

A crucial meeting took place on November 13, 2025, chaired by Department of Financial Services (DFS) Secretary M. Nagaraju. It convened representatives from major hospitals, including Apollo Hospitals, Max Healthcare, and Fortis Healthcare, alongside leading insurers like New India Assurance Company Limited, Star Health Insurance, and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company, and industry bodies like the General Insurance Council and the Association of Healthcare Providers in India (AHPI). The primary agenda was to tackle the persistent issue of rising medical inflation and its direct impact on health insurance premiums.

Key strategies discussed for faster adoption included the National Health Claims Exchange, standardized treatment protocols, common empanelment norms, and a streamlined cashless claims process. The Secretary emphasized that uniform empanelment standards across insurers would ensure consistent cashless access for policyholders, simplify service terms, and reduce administrative burdens. He also stressed the need for insurers to provide high standards of service and quick turnaround times for claims.

Impact 7/10

Difficult Terms: Medical Inflation: The rate at which the cost of medical care and services increases over time. Premium Costs: The amount of money an individual or business pays for an insurance policy. National Health Claims Exchange: A proposed digital platform to standardize and speed up the exchange of health insurance claims information between healthcare providers and insurers. Standardised Protocols: Uniform procedures or guidelines agreed upon by all parties involved. Cashless Access: A system where policyholders can receive medical treatment at empaneled hospitals without paying upfront, with the insurer directly settling the bill. Policyholders: Individuals or entities who own an insurance policy. Empanelment Norms: Criteria and procedures for hospitals to be officially recognized and approved by insurance companies to provide services to their policyholders.