State-owned general insurance companies are planning to introduce health insurance products, designed to suit the need of different consumer groups.
"It is evolving towards designing policies based on abilities of consumers," National Insurance Company (NIC) director A V Girija Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce on alternate dispute resolution.
In other words, the premium will be more for hospitalisation benefits with higher level of facilities than traditional health policies.
The development comes after controversy over excess billing by private sector hospitals in cashless system.
The public sector insurance companies are also looking at setting up ailment-wise health insurance packages, sources said.
"We are looking at whether a disease-wise limit could be taken up if possible separate products can be designed over a period of time. If somebody prefers expensive hospitals, he would necessarily have to have to bear a higher costs (of insurance policy)," Kumar said.
Billing was much higher for those availing cashless facility than those who did not. This led to large claims ratio for the insurance companies.
"It is not that cash-less facility has been withdrawn, it is only some kind of restructuring that is taking place keeping in mind the larger interest of the consumers," Kumar said.
