During his inaugural speech of the 6th FICCI HEAL (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry - Health Enterprise and Learning) 2012 annual international conference in Delhi this week, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee noted that there is a "high variance" in the quality of service available in public and private sector hospitals, and that the country's healthcare system should be…

London based insurance company Aviva is now the sixth largest insurance group worldwide and the largest provider of life and general insurance in the United Kingdom. Despite having a strong start to the year so far, Aviva will be undertaking a much needed strategic review of its businesses to aid the company in its recovery after the departure of Chief Executive Officer Andrew Moss. Moss, having…

Although the health insurance sector in India has experienced rapid growth in the past decade, the complexities currently involved in policing the industry has prevented the overall benefits of this positive development from permeating down to the common Indian citizen. The Health Insurance Advisory Group from the Federation…

India's emergent healthcare industry, which features an abundance of specialist medical facilities, an extensive network of healthcare providers and increasing demand for services, is fast becoming an attractive…

The Indian government is looking to develop public-private partnerships in hospitals to improve and expand healthcare access towards the more remote and impoverished areas of the country. However, the success of an existing government health insurance scheme designed for the poor has already begun to meet these objectives. The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) scheme was launched on April 1st…

From July 1st 2011, health insurance policy holders in India will be able to change insurance providers, without the fear of losing their benefits from their previous policy. With the new initiative issued by the IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority), industry leaders in India predict an increase in competition among health insurance providers, as policy-holders will be afforded greater…

India's General Insurers Public Sector Association (GIPSA), have shortlisted 9 companies to create a captive joint-venture third party administrator (TPA) to manage their cashless claims services. GIPSA's group of four public sector general insurance companies -- New India Assurance;…

India-based joint-venture Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company has launched a new policy dubbed the Star Package Policy, which provides modular coverage of up to eight separate risks, ranging from health insurance coverage to home contents insurance. Star Package provides eight coverage options which are a mix of health insurance, life insurance and general insurance risks. The policy options…

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has released the results of the developmental framework to provide high quality healthcare through insurance in a document titled "Health Insurance Report, 2010". Among the recommendations to give a boost to the health insurance sector, the report highlights the need for creating consumer awareness and satisfaction, quality healthcare delivery, improved insurance services, and an increased level of trust between insurers and healthcare providers.

Max Bupa Health Insurance, the India-based joint venture between Max India Ltd. and Bupa, has launched its business and revealed its first product on April 29^th, 2010. The Max Bupa Health…