India’s health insurance landscape often promotes the idea of universal coverage, yet a significant number of people with disabilities remain uninsured or inadequately protected. This contrast exposes a gap between policy promises and real-world accessibility.
Despite claims of universal coverage, recent reports reveal that nearly 80% of Indians with disabilities remain uninsured, highlighting a stark gap between policy promises and ground reality. Strict eligibility rules, complex documentation, and medical exclusions create invisible barriers, while higher healthcare expenses for ongoing treatments, assistive devices, and specialist care make insurance essential rather than optional. Many private insurers still categorize disabilities as pre-existing conditions, leading to rejection or inflated premiums. Limited awareness, digital inaccessibility, and complicated enrollment systems further restrict access. Combined with poverty and weak social support, this exclusion not only deepens inequality but also increases long-term burdens on families and the public healthcare system.
For healthcare to be truly inclusive, insurance systems must actively remove structural and policy barriers. Universal health coverage should protect the most vulnerable first, not last.
Engaging Question:
If insurance is meant to be a safety net, why are those who need it most still falling through the cracks?
MBH/AB