English
Feb
26
Max Bupa gets Certificate of Registration from IRDA
Posted on Feb 26, 2010 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)
Max Bupa Health Insurance, the general insurance joint venture between Max India and Bupa has been given its Certificate of Registration or R3 form, by India's Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA). This brings the total number of general insurers registered in India to 23. The company plans to open in six main cities in India, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and Bangalore in 2010, with further plans to be operating in 20 cities within three years time. While Max Bupa does not currently have precise targets regarding market share, number of new policies or gross written premiums, they plan to use market feedback and in depth research to help them expand to meet their geographical goals. Damien Marmion, the chief executive of Max Bupa Health Insurance, said that since it is fairly easy for competitors to offer health insurance products with similar features, the company plans on individuate itself through its customer service. Max Bupa intends to forgo using third party administers in order to keep direct control of the customer experience and ensure the best possible service. There is still some uncertainty as to what exactly Max Bupa's health insurance products will initially look like. Chief executive Marmion said in one interview on the 11th of February, 2010 that "Our products will be all across the spectrum, with premiums ranging from Rs 3,000 to more than Rs 50,000. We also have some rural insurance obligations[,]" while in a later interview on the 18th of February he said that "We will initially offer one product with a number of variants". Although Mr. Marmion said that their research has shown the cost of hospitalization to be one of the top concerns among consumers, so their early focus would be on providing hospitalization plans. Companies Mentioned: Max India:
Incorporated in 1988, Max India Limited is a holding company with business interests working in the healthcare and services industries. Their wide range of health related interests include a joint venture life insurance company, Max New York Life, a healthcare services company, Max Healthcare, and a clinical services company, Max Neeman Medical International. The Max India Group reported US$ 860 million in revenues for 2007-2008 and will soon add Max Bupa to their list of businesses.
Bupa:
BUPA is an international health insurance company that provides health insurance for individuals and companies all over the world. This company has offices on three continents and over 7 million customers' world wide. As a provident association BUPA has no shareholders, because of this it uses its profits to invest in healthcare and medical facilities around the world.