₹25 lakh health cover for every family: Panel to prepare DPR for Oommen Chandy insurance scheme
A Kerala technical committee will prepare a report for a ₹25 lakh health insurance scheme for every family, aiming for universal coverage.
A Kerala technical committee will prepare a report for a ₹25 lakh health insurance scheme for every family, aiming for universal coverage.
A Kerala technical committee will prepare a report for a ₹25 lakh health insurance scheme for every family, aiming for universal coverage.
Thiruvananthapuram: The proposed Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme, which aims to provide health insurance cover of up to ₹25 lakh to every family in Kerala, has moved a step closer to implementation with the state government forming a technical committee to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Health and Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan said the committee comprises experts from the insurance sector and has been asked to submit the detailed report within four months. The expert members are Girish Radhakrishnan, former chairman and managing director of United India Insurance Company and former Insurance Ombudsman for Kerala; P J Joseph, former member of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI); and K Sanath Kumar, former chairman and managing director of National Insurance Company.
The Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department will head the committee. The Finance and Planning secretaries and the executive director of the State Health Agency will also be members.
The government intends to bring all families in the state under the scheme while keeping income-based restrictions to a minimum, according to the minister. One of the options being considered is implementing the scheme through the Kerala State Health Agency (SHA), providing cashless treatment at empanelled government and private hospitals.
The technical committee will examine how the proposed scheme can be integrated with existing health insurance and public health financing schemes. It will also look into the mechanisms required to provide wider health coverage, the financial model of the scheme, hospital empanelment, claims management, quality assurance and grievance redressal.
The Oommen Chandy Health Insurance Scheme was one of the initiatives announced by the United Democratic Front (UDF) ahead of the Assembly election as part of its ‘Indira Guarantee’ programme. Universal health coverage was also announced in the Kerala Budget for 2026-27.
Muraleedharan said the UDF government was fulfilling another election promise by moving ahead with a scheme aimed at providing health coverage to people across the state.