New Delhi: A new survey has revealed that nearly 16 crore persons with disabilities in India have been excluded from health insurance systems. Conducted by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People across 34 states and Union Territories, it shows that 80 per cent of people with disabilities lack health insurance.
NCPEDP, an NGO working for the rights and economic empowerment of disabled people, launched a white paper survey, highlighting the major barriers faced by disabled people, such as inflated premiums, discriminatory clauses, technical exclusions, inaccessible websites, lack of awareness among insurers, and high rejection rates. The paper, titled Invisible in the Fine Print: Disability, Discrimination and Health Insurance in India, was presented on 20 November at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi.
For the study, more than 5,000 persons with disabilities were surveyed between 2023 and 2025. NCPEDP, with the help of several collaborators, found out that 53 per cent of them were turned away by insurers, with 60 per cent receiving no reason for the rejection.
Catastrophic health costs
The white paper highlights that families with disabled members spend nearly one-fifth of their monthly income on disability-related needs. It states that 57 per cent of them face “catastrophic health costs”, gradually pushing many families below the poverty line.
The higher premium rates and rejections by insurance companies push people to opt for government schemes. However, the paper highlights, most people with disabilities don’t get benefits under Ayushman Bharat, a central government scheme for providing health insurance to economically weaker families.
“If India can include all senior citizens (above 70) in Ayushman Bharat, there is no justification to exclude persons with disabilities- who face equal or greater health vulnerabilities,” said Arman Ali, Executive Director, NCPEDP.
The survey notes that 41 per cent people with disabilities are unaware of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, and that there is a widespread digital inaccessibility when it comes to banks and insurance companies. Insurance agents are also not sensitised enough to help the disabled people.
In India, disability is perceived as liability. Such people face multiple gatekeeping challenges and attitudinal barriers.
In May 2019, the insurance application of the eight-year-old son of Srinivasu Chakravarthula, Director of Product Accessibility at Freshworks Inc, was rejected due to “vision impairment of the parent”. Chakravarthula had applied for a SBI scheme that helps parents plan the education, marriage, and other future goals of their children.
Analysing data provided by the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, NCPEDP had earlier observed that 42 per cent of people with disabilities did not apply for insurance due to a lack of information. The report also mentioned the lack of support from insurance providers. About 46 per cent of insurance applications were rejected due to the exclusion of disability-specific tests and treatments, the data showed.
In 37 per cent of cases, disabled applicants did not even get a response from the insurance providers.
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Demands and recommendations
NCPEDP has been pushing for inclusion of persons with disabilities under Ayushman Bharat, without age or income criteria. The NGO also emphasises on expanding insurance coverage to also include mental health, rehabilitation, and assistive technologies.
It recommends forming a Disability Inclusion Committee within the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and standardising premiums across insurance companies.
The insurance agents and healthcare staff should also be sensitised to the needs of people with disabilities, the paper notes.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)