Kozhikode: The Congress-led UDF government in Kerala is facing mounting pressure from within its own alliance over the steep increase in premiums under the NORKA Care health insurance scheme, with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) urging the government to intervene urgently and roll back the hike.

In a letter to Chief Minister VD Satheesan, national vice-president of IUML K Zainul Abideen highlighted the financial burden the revised premium rates would impose on expatriate Malayalis, particularly senior citizens and families covered under family insurance policies. He said the sharp increase had triggered widespread anxiety and hardship among the expatriate community, for whom the scheme had been an important source of financial security.

Although the increase has reportedly been attributed to mounting losses incurred by insurance companies due to rising treatment costs, including expenses for serious illnesses such as cancer, Abideen argued that ordinary expatriate workers, particularly those in the Gulf countries already grappling with financial difficulties, would find it difficult to bear the additional burden.

The intervention assumes political significance as the IUML is a key constituent of the ruling UDF. The concerns raised by a senior leader of the party add to the pressure on the government to reconsider the revised premium structure, even as prominent expatriate organisations, including the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), have also voiced their opposition to the hike.

Abideen said that, as a representative of a party belonging to the ruling front, he had a responsibility to bring the genuine concerns of expatriates to the government's attention. He urged the government to provide an immediate subsidy towards the premium or restructure the rates to make the scheme affordable for expatriate families.

NORKA Care is a comprehensive health and personal accident insurance scheme introduced by NORKA Roots for Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) living abroad, students pursuing education overseas, expatriates residing in other Indian states and their family members.

The introduction of new age-based premium slabs has resulted in a steep increase in the cost of a ₹5 lakh family floater policy, with the premium rising sharply from ₹13,411 to between ₹35,664 and ₹77,773.
With opposition emerging from influential expatriate organisations and now from within the ruling alliance, the government faces growing calls to revisit the premium revision and provide relief to the overseas Malayali community.